CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Churches: Repairs and Maintenance

David Drew: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what recent discussions the Church Commissioners have had with HM Treasury on funding for the repair and upkeep of church buildings; and if he will make a statement.

Stuart Bell: Representatives of the Church of England have had constructive discussions with Ministers and officials from the Treasury, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Office of the Third Sector and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. These interdepartmental discussions are ongoing and I would hope to be able to report the outcome before the Christmas recess.
	By way of a statement, the overall aim is to examine the contribution made by church buildings of all faiths to the agendas of Departments and to identify available funding from national, regional and local government sources. From there, the working group is looking at ways of ensuring that these funding streams are fully accessible to churches.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Bluetongue Disease

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information he holds on which EU countries currently have bluetongue epidemics; and what strain is prevalent in each case.

Jane Kennedy: Currently, there are several bluetongue serotypes circulating in different parts of the EU, including serotypes 1, 2, 4, 8, 9 and 16. A map of the current protection zones in place for each serotype can be found on the European Commission website.
	Of most importance to the UK are bluetongue serotypes 1 and 8. Bluetongue serotype 8 (BTV-8) was first found in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Western Germany and in parts of North Eastern France in summer/autumn 2006. In 2007, Northern Europe experienced a dramatic increase of new cases in all existing infected areas, and cases numbered into the tens of thousands as disease steadily spread across Europe.
	In 2008, the number of new cases of BTV-8 in many EU member states has declined, but depending on weather conditions, it is possible that there may be further outbreaks this year. BTV-8 continues to be highly prevalent in France (with over 16,000 new cases in 2008) and Germany (over 1,300 new cases). BTV-1 is prevalent in Spain (over 1,000 new cases) and France (over 2,600 cases).

Departmental Paper

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of paper used  (a) for photocopying and  (b) in printed publications by his Department was from recycled sources in each of the last two years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: From information held centrally, the figures are as follows:
	
		
			   Tonnes  Percentage  from recycled sources 
			  Photocopier paper   
			 2006-07 547.9 97 
			 2007-08 601.11 98 
			
			  Printer paper   
			 2006-07 318.7 100 
			 2007-08 281.7 100 
		
	
	DEFRA's sustainable procurement policy is adherence to the highest standards of recycled paper. DEFRA currently buys paper that contains 75 per cent. recycled fibre for coated paper used in publications and for office paper (copier) and publications using uncoated paper, there is a 100 per cent. recycled fibre target. The only exceptions to these standards are where recycled paper is not available for a specific process e.g. some coloured stocks, security paper and non-carbon reproduction (NCR). Meeting the targets owes much to the fact that a considerable proportion of DEFRA's printed publications are commissioned from a single central business unit using a centrally negotiated contract for recycled paper. The increase in photocopier usage is accounted for by print jobs related to cattle statements, herd statements, herd movements, single payments scheme and animal health disease outbreaks.

Departmental Press

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent by his Department on subscriptions for magazines, newspapers and other publications in each of the last 24 months.

Huw Irranca-Davies: In the last 24 months, DEFRA spent £26,031.55 on subscriptions for magazines and newspapers. It is not possible to give a monthly breakdown as the amount varies depending on the length of the subscription.

Floods

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what critical infrastructure has been identified as vulnerable to flooding; and what the location and level of risk of each is.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 17 September 2008
	The following table shows the number of critical facilities sites at risk of flooding. The Environment Agency is unable to give the location of these sites for national security reasons.
	
		
			   Number of sites in flood zone (flood risk probability) 
			  Asset  Significant (1 in75)  Moderate (1 in 75-200)  Low (1 in 200 or fewer)  Total in all three zones 
			 Water and sewerage (Number) 737 223 179 1,145 
			 Electricity, generation and distribution (Number) 2,215 2,263 3,818 8,423 
			 Gas, works and distribution (Number) 5 8 10 23 
			 Telephone exchanges (Number) 82 67 86 241 
			 Motorways (Kilometres) 139 104 132 382 
			 A roads (Kilometres) 884 553 809 2,278 
			 Railway lines (Kilometres) 1,470 750 948 3,213 
			  Note: Taken from an Environment Agency study showing infrastructure overlain on flood risk maps (river and sea floodplains).

International Panel on Climate Change: Correspondence

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of correspondence between Dr. John Mitchell, Chief Scientist at the Hadley Centre, and the International Panel on Climate Change occurring in the last 12 months.

Kevan Jones: I have been asked to reply.
	The Meteorological Office will review correspondence between Professor Mitchell and the IPCC in the last 12 months. Where appropriate, copies will be placed in the Library of the House.

Non-Departmental Public Bodies

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 29 September 2008,  Official Report, columns 2421-2W, on non-departmental public bodies, what is the net change is in the  (a) amount and  (b) percentage of (i) resource, (ii) capital and (iii) total budgets for each of his Department's executive agencies and sponsored bodies from 2008-09 to 2009-10 in (A) cash and (B) real terms; and what savings were achieved in each spending area of each such organisation in that period.

Huw Irranca-Davies: holding answer 14 October 2008
	Requested details for arms length bodies and gross controlled agencies for the 2008-09 and 2009-10 are provided in the following tables. HM Treasury deflators have been used to derive net change in real terms at 2008-09 prices.
	DEFRA's other Executive Agencies: the Central Science Laboratory (CSL), the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA), the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) recover their full economic costs through charges made to customers for services provided.
	How the changes in budget levels between the two years will be applied, are matters for the chief executives of individual NDPBs and Executive Agencies, in consultation with Ministers.
	
		
			  Arms length bodies: 2008-09 to 2009-10 Budgets 
			  £ million 
			   2008-09  2009-10 
			   Resource  Cap  Total  Resource  Cap  Total. 
			 Environment Agency 467.5 330.0 797.5 473.8 357.5 831.3 
			 Natural England 169.9 6.1 176.0 165.9 6.1 172.0 
			 Carbon Trust 58.7 30.4 89.1 58.7 27.0 85.7 
			 British Waterways 34.1 23.6 57.7 33.8 24.6 58.4 
			 National Parks 46.6 — 46.6 51.0  51.0 
			 Waste and Resources Action Programme 37.0 3.0 40.0 37.0 3.0 40.0 
			 Energy Savings Trust 36.1 — 36.1 39.5 1.0 40.5 
			 Royal Botanical Gardens Kew 17.6 8.8 26.4 17.6 10.9 28.5 
			 Joint Nature Conservation Committee 1.9 — 1.9 1.9 — 1.9 
			 Committee for Rural Communities 6.4 — 6.4 6.4 — 6.4 
			 ENCAMS 5.0 — 5.0 5.0 — 5.0 
			 Food from Britain(1) 4.0 — 4.0 0.0 — 0.0 
			 National Forest Co. 3.6 — 3.6 3.6 — 3.6 
			 Gangmasters Licensing Authority 1.5 — 1.5 1.5 — 1.5 
		
	
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Net change from 2008-09 to 2009 -10 
			   Resource  Capital 
			   Cash  Percentage  Real  Percentage  Cash  Percentage  Real  Percentage 
			 Environment Agency 6.3 1.3 6.1 1.3 27.5 8.3 26.8 8.1 
			 Natural England -4.0 -2.4 -3.9 -2.3 — — — — 
			 Carbon Trust — — — — -3.4 11.2 -3.3 10.9 
			 British Waterways -0.3 -0.9 -0.3 -0.9 1.0 4.2 1.0 4.1 
			 National Parks 4.4 9.4 4.3 9.2 — — — — 
			 Waste and Resources Action Programme — — — — — — — — 
			 Energy Savings Trust 3.4 9.4 3.3 9.1 1.0 — 1.0  
			 Royal Botanical Gardens Kew — — — — 2.2 24.6 2.1 23.9 
			 Joint Nature Conservation Committee — — — — — — — — 
			 Committee for Rural Communities — — — — — — — — 
			 ENCAMS — — — — — — — — 
			 Food from Britain(1) -4.0 100.0 -3.9 97.3 — — — — 
			 National Forest Co. — — — — — — — — 
			 Gangmasters Licensing Authority — — — — — — — — 
		
	
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Ne t change from 2008-09 to 2009- l 0 
			   Total 
			   Cash  Percentage  Real  Percentage 
			 Environment Agency 33.8 4.2 32.9 4.1 
			 Natural England -4.0 -2.3 -3.9 -2.2 
			 Carbon Trust -3.4 -3.8 -3.3 -3.7 
			 British Waterways 0.7 1.2 0.7 1.2 
			 National Parks 4.4 9.4 4.3 9.2 
			 Waste and Resources Action Programme — — — — 
			 Energy Savings Trust 4.4 12.1 4.3 11.8 
			 Royal Botanical Gardens Kew 2.2 8.2 2.1 7.9 
			 Joint Nature Conservation Committee — — — — 
			 Committee for Rural Communities — — — — 
			 ENCAMS — — — — 
			 Food from Britain(1) -4.0 100.0 -3.9 97.3 
			 National Forest Co. — — — — 
			 Gangmasters Licensing Authority — — — — 
			 (1) Food from Britain will cease operations from 1 April 2009 
		
	
	
		
			  Gross controlled agencies: 2008-09 to 2009-10 Budgets 
			  £ million 
			   2008-09  2009-10 
			   Resource  Cap  Total  Resource  Cap  Total 
			 RPA Operations 201.6 22.0 223.6 182.7 19.5 202.2 
			 RPA OCDS Costs(1) 32.4 — 32.4 — — — 
			 Marine and Fisheries Agency 20.5 3.0 23.5 20.5 3.0 23.5 
			 Animal Health 114.0 14.1 128.1 115.5 10.7 126.1 
			 Govt Decontamination Service 3.0 — 3.0 3.0 — 3.0 
		
	
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Net change from 2008-09 to 2009-10 
			   Resource  Capital 
			   Cash  Percentage  Real  Percentage  Cash  Percentage  Real  Percentage 
			 RPA Operations -18.9 -9.4 18.4 -9.1 -2.5 11.3 -2.4 11.0 
			 RPA OCDS Costs(1) — — — — — — — — 
			 Marine and Fisheries Agency — — — — — — — — 
			 Animal Health 1.5 1.3 1.4 1.3 -3.4 24.3 -3.3 23.6 
			 Govt Decontamination Service — — — — — — — — 
		
	
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Net change from 2008-09 to 2009-10 
			   Total 
			   Cash  Percentage  Real  Percentage 
			 RPA Operations -21.4 -9.6 20.8 -9.3 
			 RPA OCDS Costs(1) — — — — 
			 Marine and Fisheries Agency — — — — 
			 Animal Health -1.9 -1.5 -1.9 -1.5 
			 Govt Decontamination Service — — — — 
			 (1) OCDS (Older Cattle Disposal scheme) ends February 2009

Prawns

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  if he will assess the relative health benefits and safety from toxins of wild prawns farmed in the UK with farmed prawns imported from South East Asia; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will increase the rigorousness and regularity of the testing of shellfish imported from South East Asia; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what steps he is taking to reduce the risk of toxic imported shellfish being put on sale to the public in the UK.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Prawns are not farmed in the UK. Some other shellfish are farmed in the UK, but are subject to controls required by EU legislation aimed at raising the standards of aquaculture health throughout the EU.
	The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has responsibility for food safety matters, including controls on imported food such as shellfish from non-EU countries. These imports are subject to robust checks at UK seaports and airports of entry by local authorities in accordance with EU food safety and hygiene legislation.
	All imports of food products from non-EU countries must meet food safety and food hygiene requirements equivalent to those in the UK. Products of animal origin, including shellfish, may be imported from non-EU countries which ensure that establishments meet EU standards and, have enforcement officials who monitor and are required to certify compliance with EU food safety criteria.
	Such products must enter the EU through designated Border Inspection Posts under the control of official inspectors, where they undergo documentary and identity checks and a prescribed proportion are subject to physical compliance checks, which can include testing for toxins.
	DEFRA's Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) carries out surveillance for unacceptable residues of veterinary medicinal products in imported foodstuffs every year. This is based on recommendations from the independent Veterinary Residues Committee (VRC), which advises the VMD and FSA on residues issues. The programme focuses on looking for substances prohibited from use in the EU, and which therefore should not be present in food imported into the EU.
	Warm water crustaceans have been included in the programme for several years. Several non-compliant results for metabolites of nitrofurans (antibiotics prohibited from use in the EU owing to health concerns) were reported in 2005 and 2006, with fewer non-compliant results in 2007 and 2008 to date. These are predominantly from South-East Asia. The UK authorities wrote to the Commission on this issue in January 2007.
	
		
			   Number of samples  Number of non-compliant 
			 2005 301 19 
			 2006 393 23 
			 2007 302 2 
			 2008 to date 184 3 
		
	
	Further details of the results can be obtained from the VRC's website at
	www.secretariat@vet-residues-committee.gov.uk.
	Non-compliant consignments are rejected and can be destroyed. The EU Commission is notified through the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) of such consignments and all EU (and EEA) border posts are advised to reinforce controls.
	If a consignment fails these checks then the next 10 consignments from the relevant establishment are checked, for example, for the presence of veterinary residues. EU emergency safeguard conditions are taken when there is an outbreak of disease or other circumstances likely to present a risk to public health.
	Inland local authorities also carry out checks of food on sale, regardless of country of origin. It is for food businesses to ensure that food on sale in the UK meets food safety requirements. Robust import conditions and targeted enforcement action is used to check food throughout the food chain to minimise potential risks to public health.

Primates: Pets

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) wild-caught and  (b) captive-bred primates have been imported into the UK as pets since 2000.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Since 2000, the UK CITES Management Authority has issued one import permit to allow the importation of one wild primate for the purpose of keeping as a pet. The animal had been hand reared after it had been rejected by its mother and could not be returned to the wild. The Government's scientific authorities advised that in this particular case there would be no detriment to the conservation status of the species in the wild. A permit was issued with the condition that the animal must be kept in adequate housing and could only be relinquished to a zoo or specialised keeper after ensuring that the intended recipient had been adequately informed of the accommodation, practices and equipment required to ensure the animal would be properly cared for.
	There have been no permits issued in the same period to allow captive bred primates to be imported as pets.

Primates: Pets

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many pet primates have been seized in the UK as a result of noise or other nuisance since 2000; and where such seized primates were subsequently kept.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Any seizures of primates due to noise or other nuisance would be undertaken by local authorities. Central records of such seizures are not held.

Warm Front Scheme

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much Warm Front spent in labour costs associated with installing central heating in each of the last three years; and how many dwelling installations this figure represents.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	The following table illustrates the labour costs associated with the installation of central heating and the number of installations this represents. Figures split by scheme years.
	
		
			   Number of central heating installations delivered  Heating costs—labour (£) 
			 2005-06 22,188 35,956,029.12 
			 2006-07 81,357 131,348,046.91 
			 2007-08 103,044 162,284,909.55 
			 Total 206,589 329,588,985.58

Warm Front Scheme

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many properties in Bassetlaw constituency received Warm Front grants for  (a) insulation and  (b) central heating in the last three years.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	In the last three years, Warm Front has delivered  (a) 533 insulation measures and  (b) 691 heating measures to households in Bassetlaw.

Warm Front Scheme

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether those living in residential park homes may be eligible to participate in the Warm Front scheme.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	Those residing in park homes are not disqualified from receiving assistance through the scheme and are subject to the same entry criteria as all applicants. However, many park homes can prove 'hard to treat' and may not be suitable for some of the measures currently available under Warm Front.
	However, Warm Front has developed mechanisms for assessing new technologies that could be brought onto the scheme and is currently reviewing alternative heating and insulation measures which could provide potential future solutions for park home properties.

Warm Front Scheme: Contracts

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who the largest five contractors were, in terms of business value, installing Warm Front-funded central heating in Bassetlaw constituency have been in the last three years.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	The five largest contractors, in terms of the number of installations delivered through Warm Front, in Bassetlaw are:
	Eaga Energy Solutions Ltd.
	East Coast Gas Services Ltd.
	Fenhams Contracts.
	Heating Efficiency Systems Ltd.
	Iguana Services Ltd.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate Change

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress has been made on the commitments undertaken at the ministerial G8 Gleneagles Dialogue meeting in Berlin, Germany in September 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: The third Ministerial G8 Gleneagles Dialogue meeting in Berlin in 2007 concentrated on developing an integrated view on energy and climate policy with a focus on technology and investment in sustainable energy systems. The Berlin ministerial recognised the urgent need for clear and predictable policy frameworks on the national and international levels in order to spur more climate-friendly sustainable development pathways and underscored the need for agreement on a strong process to develop a post-2012 framework.
	To this end, the International Energy Agency and the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership, the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st century, national experts from Dialogue countries and interested stakeholders were invited to explore in more detail the technology potentials in key sectors in Dialogue countries. Analysis focused on how to ensure economic growth with a lower carbon footprint, including identifying specific innovative mechanisms for technology co-operation. The results were reported at the Japanese G8 presidency in July 2008.
	International Financial Institutions were invited, in co-operation with national experts from Dialogue countries and the private sector, to analyse in depth the international co-operation toolbox, including expanding and scaling up mechanisms such as the Clean Development Mechanism, sectoral approaches, and blended public and private financing.

Climate Change

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress has been made on the Gleneagles Plan of Action on climate change to exploit cleaner technologies, promote energy efficiency and invest in clean technologies in emerging economies.

Joan Ruddock: The International Energy Agency (IEA) undertook three years of detailed work under the Gleneagles Plan of Action funded by G8 members. The Agency's report of the main conclusions can be found on its website. On energy efficiency, the IEA has completed an exhaustive analysis of the global potential for improvements in energy efficiency and the action that needs to be taken to realise that potential. This analysis culminated in 25 recommendations made by the IEA to the leaders of the G8 for improving global energy efficiency covering action on buildings, appliances, lighting, transport, industry, energy utilities and cross-cutting policies and which, by 2030, could reduce global demand for oil by 15 per cent., and energy-related CO2 emissions by almost 20 per cent., G8 leaders at the Hokkaido summit in Japan in July accepted the IEA's conclusions, which also included:
	The leaders of the G8, China, India and South Korea agreeing to establish an International Partnership on Energy Efficiency.
	A commitment to strongly support the launching of 20 large-scale Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) demonstration projects globally by 2010 with a view to beginning broad deployment of CCS by 2020.
	A commitment to develop road maps for innovative clean technologies and to co-operate through existing and new partnerships.
	A commitment to promote the continued development and commercialisation of renewable energy, including through the launch of a Global Bioenergy Partnership.
	In terms of work on encouraging investment in clean technologies in emerging economies, the World Bank and other multilateral development banks (MDBs) have been invited to increase dialogue with borrowers on energy issues and put forward specific proposals at their annual meetings to:
	(a ) make the best use of existing resources and financing instruments and develop a framework for energy investment to accelerate the adoption of technologies which enable cleaner, more efficient energy production and use.
	(b) explore opportunities within their existing and new lending portfolios to increase the volume of investments made on renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies consistent with the MDBs' core mission of poverty reduction.
	(c) work with interested borrower countries with significant energy requirements to identify less greenhouse gas intensive growth options which meet their priorities; and ensure that such options are integrated into Country Assistance Strategies.
	(d) develop local commercial capacity to develop and finance cost-effective projects that promote energy efficiency and low-carbon energy sources.

Climate Change

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress the Government has made on Public Service Agreement 27 on leading the global effort to avoid dangerous climate change; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: Public service agreement 27 on climate change covers three major challenges—to reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions by working for a global deal, to reduce UK emissions to put us in the forefront of the move to a low carbon economy; and to ensure the country is adapting to the consequences of climate change which are already unavoidable. Progress has been made on all three fronts but much more still needs to be done.
	The Climate Change Bill, Energy Bill and Planning Bill will support the infrastructure changes required in the UK, establish binding carbon budgets, and set up the Committee on Climate Change. The Committee's first report is due in December.
	The Government are supporting proposals for strengthening the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, which places a cap on emissions from energy intensive sectors and puts a price on carbon, as the basis for a global carbon trading market.
	The Government are consulting on a Renewable Energy Strategy as part of meeting the EU target to source 20 per cent. of the EU's energy from renewable sources by 2020. It is also taking steps to enable nuclear new build and is developing an approach to carbon capture and storage.
	The Government are also working with other countries to secure a good outcome from negotiations on the EU's emissions target for 2020 and to prepare for the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in December 2009.

Insulation: Housing

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) people able to carry out insulation work in winter 2008-09 and  (b) council-owned or housing association properties eligible for insulation or pipe lagging work under the energy efficiency and household insulation scheme announced in September.

Joan Ruddock: We are working closely with energy suppliers and the insulation industry to maximise insulation activity under the carbon emissions reduction target (CERT) this winter. There are now some 4,000 people able to carry out insulation work, plus support staff—an increase of almost 500 staff since April 2008.
	3.9 million (reported April 2006) local authority and registered social landlord households are eligible to benefit from energy supplier action under CERT; a significant number have already been treated through this and the Decent Homes programme. It is up to landlords to proactively work with energy suppliers to find cost-effective energy saving opportunities which can benefit their tenants.

Interdepartmental Analysts Group

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps the Interdepartmental Analysts Group  (a) has undertaken and  (b) plans to undertake on climate change and the low carbon economy; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: The Interdepartmental Analysts Group is revising its guidance to ensure that the policies needed to achieve cuts in emissions are evaluated and appraised in a consistent manner. The Group is undertaking evaluation and appraisal of emissions reduction policies beyond those contained in the 2007 Energy White Paper, that will be needed to achieve further cuts in emissions.

JUSTICE

Driving Offences: Leeds

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were  (a) cautioned and  (b) fined for speeding in Leeds in each of the last 10 years.

Maria Eagle: Available information on speed limit offences within the West Yorkshire police force area from 1997 to 2006 (latest available) is provided in the following table. 2007 data should be available later this year.
	Data are available at police force area level only.
	
		
			  Number of court imposed fines( 1, 2)  imposed at magistrates courts and fixed penalty notices issued( 3)  for speed limit offences( 4) , within West Yorkshire police force area, 1997 to 2006 
			  Number of offences 
			   Court imposed fines( 1, 2)  Fixed penalty notices issued( 3) 
			 1997 3,738 24,103 
			 1998 4,245 29,635 
			 1999 5,553 24,791 
			 2000 5,619 24,595 
			 2001 4,442 20,937 
			 2002 2,295 32,126 
			 2003 3,349 70,011 
			 2004 4,263 68,827 
			 2005 5,204 66,031 
			 2006 5,955 49,528 
			 (1) May include cases where fixed penalty was issued and not paid and consequently taken to court. (2) Magistrates courts data only. Fines given at the Crown court total nationally (England and Wales) less than 10 each year. (3) Covers tickets paid where there is no further action. (4) Offences under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 ss. 16, 81, 84, 86, 88 and 89; Motor Vehicles (Speed Limit on Motorways) Regs. 1973; Parks Regulation (Amendment) Act 1926, byelaws made thereunder.  Notes: 1. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete. Written warning may also be under reported. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Lancaster Farms Young Offender Institute

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he has taken in response to recommendations in the 2006 Annual Report of the Independent Monitoring Board for Her Majesty's Young Offender Institute, Lancaster Farms.

David Hanson: My hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Justice (Maria Eagle) formally replied to the report on 17 September 2007. This letter contained detailed responses to all of the concerns raised. The Board recently submitted its Annual Report for 2007 and I will be writing to the Chair shortly, addressing the issues that it has highlighted.

Lancaster Farms Young Offender Institute

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he has received representations from the Governor of Her Majesty's Young Offender Institute, Lancaster Farms on late drop offs from court; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: No representations have been made to me by the Governor of Her Majesty's Young Offenders Institute, Lancaster Farms, about the late arrival of young prisoners from court. Data provided by the escort contractor indicate that of 863 young prisoners escorted to HMYOI Lancaster Farms from courts between 1 April 2008 and 30 September 2008, 88 per cent. arrived before 1900 hours and only six arrived after 2000 hours.

Law Centres

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for what reasons a full tendering process is undertaken for the setting up of community legal advice networks.

Bridget Prentice: As public bodies the Legal Services Commission (LSC) and any local authority partners are required to act in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2006 when awarding relevant contracts for public services such as a Community Legal Advice Network. These regulations incorporate European Union (EU) procurement law into UK practice, to ensure a consistent regime for the award of public contracts throughout the EU.
	Moreover, the tendering process allows the LSC to secure excellent access, high quality and the best possible value for money.

Law Centres

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions he has had with representatives of Citizens Advice Bureaux on the proposed changes to the community legal systems.

Bridget Prentice: My Noble friend, Lord Hunt of Kings Heath, the former Legal Aid Minister, met representatives of Citizens Advice on a number of occasions to discuss a range of issues relating to the Legal Aid Reform programme. The most recent meeting took place in June 2008.
	The Legal Services Commission also engage with Citizens Advice on a regular basis to discuss the reform programme. For example, there are regular meetings' between the chief executives of the LSC and Citizens Advice, and a bi-monthly meeting is held between the LSC and Not-for-Profit agencies (including Citizens Advice) on contracting issues.

Legal Advice and Assistance

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 26 June 2008,  Official Report, column 473W, on legal advice and assistance, what assessment he has made of the effect of the establishment of new community legal advice centres on the viability of citizens advice bureaux in areas where they have not won contracts to run the new centres.

Bridget Prentice: Community Legal Advice (CLA) services (centres and networks) offer integrated help on housing, debt, employment, welfare benefits, and community care because these problems, in particular, are often interlinked.
	They also bring together advice services funded by local bodies, such as local authorities, with legal aid funded by the Legal Services Commission (LSC). Centres and networks aim to provide services that meet the needs of people in the local area and are commissioned through an open tender process.
	The LSC currently funds, with the respective local authority, four Community Legal Advice centres in Gateshead, Leicester, Derby and Portsmouth. In addition, the Hull Community Legal Advice centre, which is jointly funded with Hull City Council, will open on 20 October. Citizens Advice Bureaux (CABx) were part of the winning bid in Gateshead, Derby and Portsmouth.
	Hull Citizens Advice Bureau was unsuccessful in its bid for the Hull Community Legal Advice centre and the LSC are in discussions with it about its future. Though not part of the Leicester Community Legal Advice centre, the Leicester CABx did not lose any funding as a result of the centre opening earlier this year.
	CABx play an important role in advising and supporting local communities.
	In addition to those involved in Community Legal Advice centres, the LSC continues to fund around 250 CABx to deliver advice through legal aid.

Legal Aid

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases in the  (a) criminal and  (b) civil courts were funded wholly or partly through legal aid in the last year for which figures are available; and what the equivalent figures were (i) five and (ii) 10 years previously.

Bridget Prentice: The following table provides information on legally aided cases in the criminal courts in 1997-98, 2002-03 and 2007-08.
	The number of magistrates courts claims provides a reasonable proxy of the number of cases legally aided although in some cases there may be more than one claim if two or more people are represented. The majority of representation orders granted in the Crown court and above will have also received representation in the magistrates' court but a minority will not. In the Crown court, on average, there are 1.2 representation orders per case (again, where more than one defendant is involved in a case).
	I am unable to provide an answer in respect of the civil courts, as this information is not held centrally. In particular, many legally aided cases are completed without ever needing to come to court.
	
		
			  Thousand 
			   Magistrates courts claims  Representation orders—Crown court and above 
			 1997-98 494 124 
			 2002-03 575 124 
			 2007-08 474 124

Prisoners: Employment

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which closed  (a) adult (i) male and (ii) female prisons and  (b) (A) male and (B) female young offender institutions in England and Wales have introduced changes to the core working day since 1 January 2008; on which date the changes were introduced in each case; and which establishments have not introduced changes.

David Hanson: The final date for implementation of the standard core day was 29 June 2008. A number of prisons are introducing the change after this date for the reasons given in the following table.
	
		
			  Prison core day implementation 
			  Establishment  Core Day Implemented  Date implemented 
			 Acklington Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Albany No Prison being clustered with other prisons on the IOW will introduce once cluster complete 
			 Ashwell Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Askham Grange No Open Prison 
			 Aylesbury Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Bedford Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Belmarsh Yes 1 January 2008 
			 Birmingham Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Blakenhurst Yes 13 July 2008 
			 Blantyre House No Due to accommodation design unable to implement 
			 Blundeston Yes 6 July 2008 
			 Brinsford Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Bristol Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Brixton Yes 29 September 2008 
			 Brockhill Yes 13 July 2008 
			 Buckley Hall Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Bullingdon Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Bullwood Hall Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Camp Hill No Prison being clustered with other prisons on the IOW will introduce once cluster complete 
			 Canterbury Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Cardiff Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Castington Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Channings Wood Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Chelmsford Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Coldingley No New accommodation being completed will introduce Core day when work has finished 
			 Cookham Wood No Juvenile 
			 Dartmoor Yes 4 July 2008 
			 Deerbolt Yes 20 June 2008 
			 Dorchester Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Dover No Immigration removal centre 
			 Downview Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Drake Hall Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Durham Yes 29 June 2008 
			 East Sutton No Open Prison 
			 Eastwood Park Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Edmunds Hill Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Elmley Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Erlestoke Yes 6 April 2008 
			 Everthorpe Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Exeter Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Featherstone Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Feltham Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Ford No Open Prison 
			 Foston Hall Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Frankland Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Full Sutton Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Garth Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Gartree Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Glen Parva Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Gloucester Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Grendon Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Guys Marsh Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Haslar Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Haverigg Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Hewell Grange Yes 13 July 2008 
			 High Down Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Highpoint Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Hindley Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Hollesley Bay No Juvenile 
			 Holloway No Due to operational reasons unable to introduce, will introduce before end of 2008 
			 Holme House Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Hull Yes 27 April 2008 
			 Huntercombe No Juvenile 
			 Kennet Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Kingston Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Kirkham No Open Prison 
			 Kirklevington No Due to accommodation design and prisoner regime unable to introduce 
			 Lancaster Castle Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Lancaster Farms Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Latchmere House No Juvenile 
			 Leeds Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Leicester Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Lewes Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Leyhill No Open Prison 
			 Lincoln Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Lindholme Yes 4 July 2008 
			 Littlehey Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Liverpool Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Long Lartin Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Low Newton Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Maidstone Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Manchester Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Moorland Closed Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Morton Hall Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Moorland Open No Open Prison 
			 New Hall Yes 25 March 2008 
			 North Sea Camp No Juvenile 
			 Northallerton Yes 25 January 2008 
			 Norwich Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Nottingham Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Onley Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Parkhurst No Prison being clustered with other prisons on the IOW will introduce once cluster complete 
			 Pentonville Yes 4 July 2008 
			 Portland Yes 6 April 2008 
			 Prescoed Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Preston Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Ranby Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Reading Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Risley Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Rochester Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Send Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Shepton Mallet Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Shrewsbury Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Springhill No Open Prison 
			 Stafford Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Standford No Open Prison 
			 Stocken Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Stoke Heath Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Styal Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Sudbury No Open Prison 
			 Swaleside Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Swansea Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Swinfen Hall Yes 29 June 2008 
			 The Mount Yes 29 June 2008 
			 The Verne No Due to accommodation design and prisoner regime unable to introduce 
			 Thorn Cross No Juvenile 
			 Usk Cluster with Prescoed Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Wakefield Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Wandsworth Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Warren Hill Yes May 2008 
			 Wayland Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Wealstun Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Wetherby No Juvenile 
			 Wellingborough Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Werrington No Juvenile 
			 Whatton Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Whitemoor Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Winchester Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Woodhill Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Wormwood Scrubs Yes 29 June 2008 
			 Wymott Yes 29 June 2008

Prisoners: Foreigners

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many foreign national prisoners were held in prisons on 30 September, broken down by nationality; and how many prisoners held in England and Wales on that date had an unknown country of origin.

David Hanson: At the end of June 2008, the last date for which this information is available, there were 11,498 foreign national prisoners detained in all prisons in England and Wales, and 946 for whom the nationality information is not yet recorded on central data systems. The total includes prisoners held on remand or serving custodial sentences, as well as those held under the Immigration Act 1971 (including those in the immigration removal centres of Dover, Haslar and Lindholme).
	In June's data some 75 per cent. of prisoners for whom nationality is unrecorded are remand prisoners. Unrecorded nationalities account for 1 per cent. of the overall population.
	NOMS continues to work with the Border and Immigration Agency to speed up the system for removing those foreign national prisoners who meet the deportation criteria. Where the information is not already available, this will include establishing the nationality of individuals, and the relevant country of origin (or transit) to deport them to if appropriate.
	This information is published at the following website, and is updated quarterly;
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/population incustody.htm
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisoners: Mentally Ill

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of those in custody in England and Wales have been diagnosed with mental health problems.

David Hanson: We are aware that there are a number of people in custody in England and Wales who experience mental health problems. The 1997 Office for National Statistics' survey, for example, indicated that as many as 58 per cent. of male and 75 per cent. of female remand prisoners, and 39 per cent. of male and 62 per cent. of female sentenced prisoners met criteria for a diagnosis of anxiety and/or depression. Rates of very severe mental illness were between 7 and 9 per cent. of sentenced men and 14 per cent. of women having a psychotic illness.
	Accurate identification of people needing mental health treatment and care is important at all stages in the care and offender pathway. This is why all prisoners are screened at reception for risks of mental ill health and previous history of psychiatric treatment. The Offender Assessment System (OASys) helps to ensure that any person judged to be at risk and/or of needing mental health treatment and care can be identified and referred, where appropriate, to the Mental Health In-Reach Team.
	By 2005-06 nearly £20 million was being invested recurrently in mental health in-reach. There are now 102 mental health in-reach teams and all prisons now have access to them: a total of 360 extra staff altogether. There are also new systems to monitor and support those at risk of harming themselves.

Probation: Finance

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the  (a) budget and  (b) budget deficit was for each probation board in each of the last five years; and what the (i) budget and (ii) projected budget deficit is for each board for 2008-09.

David Hanson: The following table shows the year-end budget revenue allocations for the 42 probation boards in each of the last five years, plus the revenue budget allocated to-date in the present financial year for the probation boards and six probation trusts. It also shows the agreed overspends that boards were allowed to carry forward in 2006-07 and 2007-08, plus the latest information from boards on forecast overspends in the present financial year. Information on overspends before 2006-07 is not held centrally and could be obtained by approaching 42 probation areas, which would only be at disproportionate cost.
	The budget and forecast overspend figures for 2008-09 are likely to be subject to further revision.
	
		
			  Probation boards end-year budgets 
			  £000 
			   2008-09( 1)  2007-08  2006-07  2005-06  2004-05  2003-04 
			  Board  Revenue  Overspends  Revenue  Overspends  Revenue  Overspends  Revenue  Revenue  Revenue 
			 Avon and Somerset 20,815 — 20,661 — 19,771 — 18,273 16,851 15,612 
			 Bedfordshire 9,375 — 8,863 — 8,499 150 8,180 7,182 6,517 
			 Cambridgeshire 10,246 — 9,727 — 9,273 136 8,895 7,375 6,835 
			 Cheshire 14,885 — 14,715 — 15,688 — 15,393 13,427 11,692 
			 Cumbria 8,656 50 8,217 119 7,897 271 7,466 6,241 6,279 
			 Derbyshire 14,619 — 13,490 — 12,891 — 12,166 11,088 10,335 
			 Devon and Cornwall 21,209 — 20,225 — 19,638 — 18,184 15,646 15,667 
			 Dorset 8,855 117 8,522 324 8,277 194 7,989 7,338 7,307 
			 Durham 10,773 — 10,720 — 10,245 — 9,513 8,697 7,820 
			 Essex 19,454 — 19,977 — 18,922 — 17,839 16,220 14,849 
			 Gloucestershire 7,757 — 7,379 — 6,959 47 6,524 5,975 5,874 
			 Hampshire 24,787 — 24,338 — 23,057 — 21,872 20,026 18,427 
			 Hertfordshire 11,527 — 11,265 — 10,569 — 9,618 8,691 8,409 
			 Humberside 18,249 — 17,187 — 16,130 — 14,964 13,010 12,422 
			 Kent 21,913 — 20,993 364 20,340 — 19,052 16,760 16,322 
			 Lancashire 23,957 — 22,979 — 21,394 — 20,251 18,837 18,600 
			 Leicestershire 15,404 — 14,402 — 13,805 — 13,071 11,778 11,086 
			 Lincolnshire 9,786 — 9,292 — 9,038 7 8,446 7,469 7,134 
			 Norfolk 11,622 50 11,168 — 10,608 — 10,205 8,477 7,927 
			 Northamptonshire 9,621 — 9,116 — 8,816 — 8,149 7,158 6,920 
			 North Yorkshire 10,655 150 10,236 41 9,478 — 8,998 7,937 7,486 
			 Nottinghamshire 19,644 — 19,057 — 18,117 489 17,190 14,861 14,232 
			 Staffordshire 17,308 — 16,393 — 15,913 48 14,361 12,319 11,769 
			 Suffolk 9,987 — 9,643 — 9,445 — 8,771 7,583 7,361 
			 Surrey 10,632 — 10,396 36 10,081 — 9,421 7,779 7,784 
			 Sussex 18,005 — 17,373 — 16,991 — 15,677 14,033 12,789 
			 Teesside 13,415 150 13,606 — 13,052 — 12,178 10,954 10,613 
			 Thames Valley 26,148 — 25,405 — 24,373 — 23,421 20,795 19,787 
			 Warwickshire 7,303 — 6,937 — 6,743 217 6,492 5,698 5,452 
			 West Mercia 15,344 — 15,445 — 13,642 — 13,197 11,774 11,188 
			 Wiltshire 8,050 39 7,874 — 7,720 109 7,224 5,964 5,510 
			 Greater Manchester 51,467 — 48,309 — 47,532 — 45,645 40,985 38,521 
			 Merseyside 30,858 — 29,283 — 28,820 — 28,643 25,798 24,621 
			 Northumbria 29,180 — 27,646 — 26,964 — 26,005 22,999 22,113 
			 South Yorkshire 25,488 — 24,282 4 24,058 54 23,041 20,858 20,381 
			 West Midlands 58,769 — 55,055 — 53,377 — 50,140 44,076 41,932 
			 West Yorkshire 42,269 — 40,036 — 38,193 — 36,226 33,366 30,986 
			 London 152,404 — 143,404 — 137,416 786 132,637 107,888 110,390 
			 Dyfed-Powys 8,580 — 8,295 — 8,058 24 7,541 6,478 5,784 
			 Gwent 11,232 — 11,252 — 10,930 — 10,018 8,938 8,029 
			 North Wales 12,348 — 11,786 411 11,696 20 11,027 10,067 9,044 
			 South Wales 25,246 — 25,226 1,531 24,402 — 23,098 20,917 19,328 
			 Total 897,841 556 860,172 2,830 828,817 2,552 786,995 690,312 661,130 
			 (1) As at 1 October 2008.

Repossession Orders

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many house repossessions were laid before the courts in each month in each of the last three years, broken down by  (a) constituency and  (b) region; and how many of these were approved by the court.

Bridget Prentice: The following tables show the number of mortgage and landlord possession claims issued, suspended orders and outright orders made in the county courts of England and Wales, broken down by Her Majesty Court Service region, since 2005.
	The data are not currently available by constituency.
	Court level statistics on mortgage and landlord repossession actions from 1987 to 2007 are available on the Ministry of Justice website at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/mortgateland lordpossession.htm
	These figures do not indicate how many houses have been repossessed through the courts, since not all the orders will have resulted in the issue and execution of warrants of possession.
	The civil procedure rules state that all claims for the repossession of land must be commenced in the district in which the land is situated. As county courts' jurisdictions are not coterminous with the borough boundaries, any single Court's repossession actions are likely to relate to homes in a number of different boroughs.
	
		
			  Table l: Mortgage possession claims issued in the county courts of England and Wales, broken down by region, 2005-07 
			   London  Midlands  North East  North West  South East  South West  Wales 
			 January 2005 1,325 1,391 1,016 1,045 1,564 786 436 
			 February 2005 1,697 1,632 1,014 1,131 1,975 778 506 
			 March 2005 1,717 1,661 1,324 1,132 2,144 856 579 
			 April 2005 1,688 1,731 1,318 1,280 2,044 990 559 
			 May 2005 1,532 1,410 1,066 1,065 1,815 806 461 
			 June 2005 2,002 1,943 1,372 1,366 2,218 1,037 610 
			 July 2005 2,002 1,821 1,470 1,376 2,266 1,073 512 
			 August 2005 1,865 1,890 1,515 1,334 2,171 901 566 
			 September 2005 1,633 1,598 1,291 1,250 1,924 894 519 
			 October 2005 1,864 1,977 1,462 1,434 2,193 963 549 
			 November 2005 2,077 2,106 1,604 1,702 2,366 1,107 674 
			 December 2005 1,683 1,630 1,171 1,146 1,872 793 498 
			 January 2006 1,717 1,821 1,416 1,475 2,098 964 624 
			 February 2006 1,670 2,005 1,485 1,429 2,057 991 653 
			 March 2006 2,100 2,563 1,763 1,826 2,601 1,174 814 
			 April 2006 1,761 1,768 1,330 1,436 1,938 916 580 
			 May 2006 1,783 1,925 1,579 1,421 1,953 916 627 
			 June 2006 1,982 2,545 1,917 1,893 2,684 1,216 819 
			 July 2006 2,135 2,089 1,737 1,782 2,344 1,049 766 
			 August 2006 2,011 2,267 1,674 1,631 2,215 1,195 799 
			 September 2006 1,618 2,072 1,618 1,731 2,044 992 690 
			 October 2006 2,014 2,249 1,682 1,804 2,332 1,045 701 
			 November 2006 1,734 2,111 1,624 1,722 2,027 1,016 676 
			 December 2006 1,339 1,506 1,216 1,055 1,546 668 458 
			 January 2007 1,801 2,297 1,771 1,708 2,261 1,052 743 
			 February 2007 1,761 2,096 1,658 1,672 2,037 974 658 
			 March 2007 1,908 2,312 1,948 1,951 2,251 1,085 841 
			 April 2007 1,454 1,880 1,592 1,486 1,848 876 651 
			 May 2007 1,810 2,164 1,902 1,902 2,294 1,031 757 
			 June 2007 1,700 2,248 1,801 1,740 2,211 1,046 777 
			 July 2007 1,919 2,540 2,078 2,039 2,392 1,170 823 
			 August 2007 1,634 2,480 1,872 1,986 2,169 1,033 858 
			 September 2007 1,280 1,944 1,682 1,659 1,899 877 621 
			 October 2007 1,663 2,440 1,937 1,921 2,193 1,083 873 
			 November 2007 1,841 2,531 2,025 2,010 2,309 1,155 896 
			 December 2007 1,327 1,971 1,543 1,578 1,814 882 689 
			  Source: Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Landlord possession claims issued in the county courts of England and Wales, broken down by region, 2005-07 
			   London  Midlands  North East  North West  South East  South West  Wales 
			 January 2005 2,656 2,097 1,652 1,810 2,038 1,074 611 
			 February 2005 3,920 2,501 1,842 2,074 2,683 1,271 750 
			 March 2005 3,966 2,316 1,860 1,959 2,429 1,177 647 
			 April 2005 3,483 2,282 1,936 1,928 2,295 1,216 563 
			 May 2005 3,068 2,021 1,583 1,705 1,916 1,264 640 
			 June 2005 3,860 2,501 1,720 2,056 2,595 1,438 786 
			 July 2005 3,633 2,435 1,748 1,860 2,217 1,209 794 
			 August 2005 3,573 2,537 1,973 1,814 2,381 1,193 808 
			 September 2005 3,681 2,272 1,772 2,063 2,350 1,327 827 
			 October 2005 3,686 2,303 1,859 1,952 2,327 1,226 674 
			 November 2005 3,827 2,297 1,685 2,214 2,397 1,342 806 
			 December 2005 3,430 2,150 1,828 1,365 2,061 1,103 526 
			 January 2006 3,349 2,258 1,895 1,861 2,519 1,208 757 
			 February 2006 3,778 2,289 1,959 2,046 2,591 1,340 750 
			 March 2006 4,029 2,307 2,035 1,939 2,667 1,274 903 
			 April 2006 3,120 1,789 1,485 1,507 1,885 910 443 
			 May 2006 3,289 2,024 1,623 1,851 2,222 1,136 658 
			 June 2006 3,603 2,381 2,031 1,837 2,478 1,151 843 
			 July 2006 3,484 2,156 1,820 . 2,017 2,388 1,023 663 
			 August 2006 4,074 2,268 1,887 1,898 2,399 1,395 776 
			 September 2006 3,114 2,150 1,892 1,790 2,187 1,124 727 
			 October 2006 3,491 1,842 1,879 1,749 2,217 1,099 652 
			 November 2006 3,005 1,696 1,701 1,715 2,046 1,089 545 
			 December 2006 2,558 1,514 1,355 ' 1,301 1,943 910 500 
			 January 2007 2,964 1,951 1,806 1,581 2,268 1,186 667 
			 February 2007 2,984 2,011 1,662 1,666 2,180 1,000 587 
			 March 2007 3,176 2,224 1,767 1,710 2,135 1,060 706 
			 April 2007 2,651 1,580 1,319 1,337 1,802 905 458 
			 May 2007 3,250 1,937 1,621 1,725 2,181 1,003 615 
			 June 2007 3,654 1,958 1,654 1,511 2,285 1,103 694 
			 July 2007 3,431 2,026 1,937 1,826 2,194 1,043 649 
			 August 2007 3,410 2,248 1,638 1,729 2,411 1,153 630 
			 September 2007 2,899 1,944 1,522 1,617 2,050 1,003 564 
			 October 2007 3,652 2,159 1,805 1,867 2,447 1,163 657 
			 November 2007 3,401 2,032 1,584 1,755 2,344 1,098 663 
			 December 2007 2,429 1,609 1,320 1,270 1,759 806 512 
			  Source:  Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	—continued
	
		
			  Table 3: Mortgage( 1)  possession orders made in the county courts of England and Wales, broken down by region, 2005-07( 2) 
			   London  Midlands  North East  North West 
			   Outright Orders( 3)  Suspended( ) Orders( 4)  Outright Orders( 3)  Suspended( ) Orders( 4)  Outright Orders( 3)  Suspended( ) Orders( 4)  Outright Orders( 3)  Suspended( ) Orders( 4) 
			 January 2005 355 424 397 497 275 384 228 318 
			 February 2005 463 538 351 477 222 302 247 355 
			 March 2005 429 434 412 491 265 375 253 370 
			 April 2005 561 519 478 624 355 474 321 429 
			 May 2005 517 512 418 609 370 483 338 420 
			 June 2005 635 664 599 630 356 486 373 461 
			 July 2005 481 436 412 573 367 432 352 394 
			 August 2005 607 590 628 732 363 481 399 493 
			 September 2005 745 663 599 702 428 516 445 510 
			 October 2005 644 579 532 609 417 472 380 420 
			 November 2005 619 649 589 630 468 498 431 504 
			 December 2005 565 481 528 600 393 457 305 369 
			 January 2006 606 575 777 687 519 632 471 563 
			 February 2006 730 649 626 659 408 418 452 453 
			 March 2006 719 642 692 681 530 565 510 596 
			 April 2006 525 469 606 630 470 477 353 541 
			 May 2006 737 616 774 697 554 630 540 498 
			 June 2006 760 613 802 892 517 580 642 675 
			 July 2006 736 589 726 756 618 660 471 512 
			 August 2006 733 615 782 705 588 585 608 580 
			 September 2006 696 552 873 819 627 710 619 596 
			 October 2006 815 571 715 670 589 597 612 595 
			 November 2006 707 552 780 741 617 619 661 596 
			 December 2006 534 471 663 648 606 494 560 509 
			 January 2007 904 691 952 820 710 651 634 598 
			 February 2007 650 535 714 678 565 541 645 593 
			 March 2007 646 510 749 732 725 689 612 566 
			 April 2007 610 477 677 655 573 546 572 534 
			 May 2007 746 550 756 719 637 615 661 593 
			 June 2007 705 524 794 738 766 562 699 625 
			 July 2007 635 463 868 744 713 619 695 602 
			 August 2007 598 505 851 753 640 460 677 596 
			 September 2007 673 487 1,076 872 713 601 669 540 
			 October 2007 648 450 1,007 809 800 628 794 710 
			 November 2007 592 498 863 826 643 611 710 694 
			 December 2007 537 438 762 622 560 486 522 527 
		
	
	
		
			   South East  South West  Wales 
			   Outright Orders( 3)  Suspended( ) Orders( 4)  Outright Orders( 3)  Suspended( ) Orders( 4)  Outright Orders( 3)  Suspended( ) Orders( 4) 
			 January 2005 434 578 211 286 99 132 
			 February 2005 355 507 198 274 89 121 
			 March 2005 464 653 199 312 116 185 
			 April 2005 636 751 201 295 152 217 
			 May 2005 597 693 278 305 153 174 
			 June 2005 650 682 285 290 177 197 
			 July 2005 684 709 281 315 140 182 
			 August 2005 614 745 342 418 172 203 
			 September 2005 730 784 290 362 188 200 
			 October 2005 665 741 281 361 159 212 
			 November 2005 663 712 246 288 192 200 
			 December 2005 554 619 256 244 152 133 
			 January 2006 797 799 319 382 188 213 
			 February 2006 684 709 310 303 160 216 
			 March 2006 759 819 318 400 216 211 
			 April 2006 688 655 286 280 184 210 
			 May 2006 729 701 317 353 239 207 
			 June 2006 756 756 358 387 246 209 
			 July 2006 742 690 320 354 229 227 
			 August 2006 833 790 379 368 246 233 
			 September 2006 821 785 391 352 282 261 
			 October 2006 719 613 348 324 263 256 
			 November 2006 936 799 356 331 269 257 
			 December 2006 582 531 299 280 214 200 
			 January 2007 1052 788 399 337 291 305 
			 February 2007 705 595 286 273 181 168 
			 March 2007 747 743 417 380 286 256 
			 April 2007 746 651 334 267 214 227 
			 May 2007 789 600 315 328 244 254 
			 June 2007 861 669 409 336 253 236 
			 July 2007 869 657 366 309 300 264 
			 August 2007 831 624 369 299 241 200 
			 September 2007 841 638 448 329 302 218 
			 October 2007 956 793 361 297 363 318 
			 November 2007 796 704 399 320 298 294 
			 December 2007 630 537 317 282 235 251 
			 (1) Mortgage possession data include all types of lenders whether local authority or private. (2) The rollout of the Possession Claim On-Line (PCOL) system in late 2006 has affected the availability of court-level data on mortgage possession orders. As a result figures for 2007 are estimated at HMCS regions. (3) The court grants the claimant possession but suspends the operation of the order. Provided the defendant complies with the terms of suspension, which usually requires the defendant to pay the current mortgage instalments plus some of the accrued arrears, the possession order cannot be enforced. (4) The court, following a judicial hearing, may grant an order for possession immediately. This entitles the claimant to apply for a warrant to have the defendant evicted. However, even where a warrant for possession is issued, the parties can still negotiate a compromise to prevent eviction.  Source: Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4: Landlord( 1)  possession orders made in the county courts of England and Wales, broken down by region, 2005-07( 2) 
			   London  Midlands  North East  North West 
			   Outright Orders( 3)  Suspended Orders( 4)  Outright Orders( 3)  Suspended Orders( 4)  Outright Orders( 3)  Suspended Orders( 4)  Outright Orders( 3)  Suspended Orders( 4) 
			 January 2005 1377 871 633 942 586 979 572 953 
			 February 2005 1131 788 586 996 549 710 435 715 
			 March 2005 1142 697 635 960 552 845 465 842 
			 April 2005 1386 858 690 1066 642 889 624 947 
			 May 2005 1217 739 705 926 549 739 501 727 
			 June 2005 1436 780 764 1049 586 844 564 823 
			 July 2005 1367 733 697 865 540 693 534 679 
			 August 2005 1375 831 689 1094 582 788 538 741 
			 September 2005 1274 732 766 1043 546 663 582 858 
			 October 2005 1406 813 756 995 665 818 564 803 
			 November 2005 1465 743 709 992 618 807 527 895 
			 December 2005 1235 623 571 840 529 683 443 601 
			 January 2006 1402 733 805 1076 589 858 577 852 
			 February 2006 1342 850 657 829 514 649 522 700 
			 March 2006 1335 734 762 1047 591 811 561 790 
			 April 2006 1222 645 563 710 539 672 424 566 
			 May 2006 1380 728 702 881 605 909 552 656 
			 June 2006 1458 640 807 893 645 646 588 719 
			 July 2006 1476 595 668 750 621 659 513 633 
			 August 2006 1669 731 744 810 659 702 610 650 
			 September 2006 1390 586 892 936 651 654 608 564 
			 October 2006 1373 481 738 788 719 676 622 673 
			 November 2006 1474 501 816 834 662 657 684 603 
			 December 2006 1140 391 518 599 635 578 545 595 
			 January 2007 1742 651 787 728 709 881 676 632 
			 February 2007 1208 391 735 646 542 545 544 552 
			 March 2007 1466 404 749 720 785 734 695 532 
			 April 2007 1291 458 727 702 618 638 578 514 
			 May 2007 1420 459 680 630 628 543 606 482 
			 June 2007 1716 450 766 761 739 554 662 565 
			 July 2007 1609 410 745 721 739 505 732 576 
			 August 2007 1773 567 916 758 721 570 721 539 
			 September 2007 1368 486 865 804 640 654 633 517 
			 October 2007 1713 610 914 896 759 741 729 657 
			 November 2007 1765 549 902 894 715 622 717 674 
			 December 2007 1260 463 636 616 557 465 532 473 
		
	
	
		
			   South East  South West  Wales 
			   Outright Orders( 3)  Suspended Orders( 4)  Outright Orders( 3)  Suspended Orders( 4)  Outright Orders( 3)  Suspended Orders( 4) 
			 January 2005 794 859 419 482 254 249 
			 February 2005 686 714 379 414 208 264 
			 March 2005 753 956 404 451 234 256 
			 April 2005 836 999 394 428 239 299 
			 May 2005 748 814 368 397 185 222 
			 June 2005 779 722 441 431 254 286 
			 July 2005 806 865 430 422 210 241 
			 August 2005 778 754 445 511 228 352 
			 September 2005 773 831 416 453 312 412 
			 October 2005 816 847 462 466 221 303 
			 November 2005 768 832 403 424 231 341 
			 December 2005 685 742 347 414 179 208 
			 January 2006 806 828 385 453 210 323 
			 February 2006 705 762 345 427 205 267 
			 March 2006 879 888 453 528 221 286 
			 April 2006 722 647 342 320 189 224 
			 May 2006 783 733 356 349 189 289 
			 June 2006 820 726 402 330 216 222 
			 July 2006 831 633 391 309 245 290 
			 August 2006 885 732 419 311 258 334 
			 September 2006 813 591 390 338 273 274 
			 October 2006 836 687 470 301 286 273 
			 November 2006 857 733 435 354 246 278 
			 December 2006 637 559 327 275 239 204 
			 January 2007 1094 934 514 399 302 227 
			 February 2007 812 530 367 313 196 141 
			 March 2007 959 635 421 396 316 231 
			 April 2007 841 547 372 290 236 163 
			 May 2007 913 471 403 271 255 221 
			 June 2007 948 586 474 319 260 176 
			 July 2007 990 560 499 306 270 215 
			 August 2007 1006 565 469 268 253 196 
			 September 2007 978 643 414 324 344 236 
			 October 2007 1068 724 472 319 285 243 
			 November 2007 1096 675 509 356 313 230 
			 December 2007 800 608 334 252 248 194 
			 (1) Landlord possession data include all types of landlord whether local authority, housing associations or private. (2) The rollout of the Possession Claim On-Line (PCOL) system in late 2006 has affected the availability of court-level data on landlord possession orders. As a result figures for 2007 are estimated at HMCS regions. (3) The court grants the claimant possession but suspends the operation of the order. Provided the defendant complies with the terms of suspension, which usually requires the defendant to pay the current rent plus some of the accrued arrears, the possession order cannot be enforced. (4) The court, following a judicial hearing, may grant an order for possession immediately. This entitles the claimant to apply for a warrant to have the defendant evicted. However, even where a warrant for possession is issued, the parties can still negotiate a compromise to prevent eviction.  Source: Ministry of Justice

Young Offenders

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he plans to take to ensure former juvenile prisoners move to young offender prisons or wings once they reach their 18th birthday.

David Hanson: The policy of the Youth Justice Board is that those young people serving a Detention and Training Order aged 18 and over in a Prison Service unit should remain in the young persons' estate to complete the custodial part of their sentence unless there are exceptional personal or population management circumstances which require them to be moved to the young adult estate.
	For those sentenced to longer sentences, arrangements are in place to ensure that within a month of their 18th birthday they are relocated to the young adult estate.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to make arrangements for members of the armed services serving in Afghanistan to be able to receive Christmas parcels after the end of October.

Bob Ainsworth: The MOD, in conjunction with Royal Mail Group, provides a free mail service for letters and packets, up to 2 kg in weight, from families and friends to named MOD personnel deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq throughout the year. The latest posting date to guarantee Christmas delivery is 5 December 2008.

Armed Forces: Deployment

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Armed Forces personnel were deployed on operations on the latest date for which figures are available, broken down by location of operation.

Bob Ainsworth: The following table shows the number of UK service personnel deployed on operations by location at 5 October 2008. The number of personnel in theatre will naturally fluctuate on a daily basis for a variety of reasons, including leave (rest and recuperation), temporary absence for training, evacuation for medical reasons, the roulement of forces and other factors.
	
		
			  Number of UK armed forces personnel deployed by location( 1) 
			  Location  Number 
			 Total 14,950 
			  of which:  
			 Afghanistan(2,3) 8,800 
			 Iraq(2) 3,900 
			 At sea 820 
			 Qatar 410 
			 Cyprus 260 
			 Oman 260 
			 Kuwait 230 
			 Kosovo 160 
			 Bahrain 80 
			 Bosnia 10 
			 Other 20 
			 (1) Countries with 10 or more personnel are shown separately. Other countries with fewer than 10 personnel per country include Georgia, Nepal, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of Congo and Liberia. (2) Figures for Iraq and Afghanistan have been rounded to the nearest 100 for operational security reasons. Other figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Due to rounding methods used, the total may not equal the sum of the individual locations. (3) Figures for Afghanistan are artificially high due to a current Operation Herrick Relief In Place (RIP) operation.

Armed Forces: Housing

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints Modern Housing Solutions received in each month since January 2008.

Kevan Jones: The number of complaints received by Modern Housing Solutions (MHS) in each month since January 2008 is as follows:
	
		
			   Number of complaints received 
			 January 2008 658 
			 February 2008 612 
			 March 2008 562 
			 April 2008 731 
			 May 2008 622 
			 June 2008 626 
			 July 2008 656 
			 August 2008 625 
			 September 2008 727 
		
	
	MHS are responsible for the maintenance and repair of approximately 45,000 SFA properties in England and Wales and carry-out over 200,000 response repair jobs each year.

Armed Forces: Mental Health Services

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made in the TRiM project for post-conflict trauma, depression and stress training; what the project's budget is; where the project's administration is located; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: The Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) system operates as a proactive, peer group mentoring and support system which aims to identify signs and symptoms and to manage the risk of any mental distress that may be suffered by individuals following a traumatic incident. It is not in itself a treatment programme. The initiative train teams of non-medical personnel from within units to recognise the signs and symptoms of mental distress and give advice to individuals on coping strategies and how to manage them or, where required, refer them for specialist help. The system has already been endorsed by both the Royal Navy and Army Chains of Command.
	The allocated budget in Financial Year 2008-09 for all stress management training within the armed forces, which includes costs for TRiM training, is in the region of £1 million. Currently the administration for TRiM training is the responsibility of the individual single services.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Procurement

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) Mastiffs,  (b) Vector,  (c) Jackal and  (d) Ridgeback vehicles have been ordered by his Department; and how many have been delivered.

Quentin Davies: The breakdown of Mastiff, Vector, Jackal and Ridgeback ordered and delivered to date is as follows;
	
		
			   Number ordered  Number delivered 
			 Mastiff 282 108 
			 Vector 185 178 
			 Jackal 202 130 
			 Ridgback 157 0

Christmas

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Christmas functions  (a) he,  (b) officials from his Department and  (c) officials from its executive agencies (i) hosted and (ii) attended in 2007-08; what the cost to the public purse was; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: The Department's instructions on financial management make it clear that it is not permissible to spend public money on Christmas functions. Any Christmas functions that take place are funded from non-public funds or by staff themselves.

Departmental Furniture

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) chairs,  (b) desks and  (c) other office furnishings have been purchased by his Department for (i) main buildings and (ii) other departmental offices in each of the last five years; and at what cost in each case.

Kevan Jones: Within MOD, each top level budget is individually responsible for assessing furniture requirements and for authorising procurement of furniture, including chairs, desks and other office furnishings. Information on expenditure by individual MOD building is not held centrally. For details of overall departmental expenditure on these items for the last five years I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor on 29 September 2008,  Official Report, column 2438W, to the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban).

Departmental Procurement

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of invoices for goods and services procured from small and medium-sized businesses were paid within 30 days of receipt by  (a) his Department and  (b) the agencies for which his Department is responsible in 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

Quentin Davies: The Department operates a system of settling invoices within 30 days of their receipt by allowing 19 days for confirmation that the service or supply has been satisfactorily performed and 11 days for the Financial Management Shared Service Centre (FMSSC) to make the payment. Statistics for the 30 day cycle could be provided only at disproportionate cost. For this reason the payment performance of the FMSSC has been used to demonstrate the Department's commitment to prompt payment.
	In 2007-08, the FMSSC paid 99.96 per cent., of all valid UK bills within 11 calendar days of receipt as part of the Department's contribution to improving the payment culture in the UK. The FMSSC also introduced daily payment runs to enhance its flexibility in providing a prompt and efficient service to industry and the smaller supplier.

Departmental Recruitment

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its Executive agencies spent on (i) recruitment consultants and (ii) external recruitment advertising to recruit staff in each of the last five financial years; which recruitment consultants were employed for those purposes in each of those years; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: The level of expenditure on recruitment consultants and external recruitment advertising to recruit staff in each of the last five financial years is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	External recruitment advertising is used only if internal recruitment has failed or is unlikely to deliver a suitable applicant. Such recruitment is conducted in line with the civil service recruitment code.

Departmental Written Questions

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what proportion of written Questions for answer on a named day his Department has answered on the due date in the current session of Parliament to date.

Kevan Jones: Up to 8 October 2008, 575 written for named day questions were tabled to the Ministry of Defence of which 275 (48 per cent.) were answered on the due date.

Ex-servicemen

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many and what percentage of ex-service personnel were defined as living in absolute poverty in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many ex-service personnel were defined as living in relative poverty in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England in each year since 1997.

Kevan Jones: The Government do not collect statistics on the number of ex-service personnel living in relative poverty. Veterans facing difficulties in their civilian lives have access to the free veterans helpline and the Veterans Welfare Service which provide advice and support, as well as to the UK benefits provided for those in need.

Ex-servicemen: Military Decorations

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of people eligible for veterans badges who are resident in the Scottish Borders area; and how many badges have been issued to such residents.

Quentin Davies: holding answer 9 September 2008
	We have not made any estimate of the number of people eligible for veterans badges resident in the Scottish borders.
	The information requested is not held in the format that identifies how many veterans badges have been issued in the Scottish borders area and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Hercules Aircraft

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of Hercules C-130 aircraft have been fitted with explosive suppressant foam.

Quentin Davies: 74 per cent. of the Hercules C-130 fleet has been fitted with explosion suppressant foam (ESF). Those aircraft that have not been fitted with ESF will shortly begin to be retired from service.
	All Hercules C-130 aircraft that are routinely deployed on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan are now fitted with ESF.

Nuclear Weapons: Compensation

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the costs to his Department to date of legal advice relating to claims made by nuclear test veterans claiming compensation from the Government; and how much is expected to be spent in the next 12 weeks.

Kevan Jones: Legal costs to the Department relating to compensation claims brought by nuclear test veterans up to 24 July 2008 amount to £968,050.00. The estimated subsequent costs are £543,300.00.

Powers of Entry

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what  (a) primary and  (b) secondary legislation sponsored by his Department has (i) amended and (ii) enhanced existing powers of entry since May 1997.

Kevan Jones: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister of State for the Home Department on 7 October 2008,  Official Report, column 577W.

Warships

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times Royal Navy  (a) destroyers,  (b) frigates,  (c) submarines,  (d) mine countermeasure vessels,  (e) patrol vessels,  (f) amphibious assault vessels and  (g) Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels underwent the Storob process in each month since January 2008.

Quentin Davies: The number of times that items or components of ships' fitted equipment have been transferred between vessels in front line service each complete month this year is as follows:
	
		
			  2008  Destroyers  Frigates  Submarines  MCMVs  Patrol Vessels  Amphibious Assault Vessels  RFA Vessels 
			 January 5 6 18 0 1 1 1 
			 February 7 2 11 0 0 1 2 
			 March 3 3 23 0 0 0 3 
			 April 2 5 20 0 4 0 1 
			 May 5 4 20 2 0 0 0 
			 June 3 4 14 0 1 0 0 
			 July 9 6 30 0 0 1 1 
			 August 6 2 20 5 0 1 0 
			 September 13 4 32 5 0 1 1 
			 Totals 53 36 188 12 6 5 9 
		
	
	The accuracy of all figures is subject to the availability of relevant data and may be subject to revision.

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Export Credits Guarantee Dept

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the operating costs of the Export Credits Guarantee Department were in each of the last five years.

Ian Pearson: The information is as follows.
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2002-03 30.3 
			 2003-04 30.5 
			 2004-05 31.4 
			 2005-06 28.5 
			 2006-07 25.7 
		
	
	Operating costs are funded from premium income rather than public funds. Figures for 2007-08 will be available later in October as part of ECGD's annual report.

Exports: Sanctions

Ian Taylor: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he plans to publish a list of items embargoed for export and black-listed end users.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 14 October 2008
	 The FCO publish on their website, on a country by country basis, details of sanctions regimes, arms embargoes and restrictions on the export of strategic goods currently implemented by the UK
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/business-trade/export-controls-sanctions/country-listing/.
	As the terms of embargoes vary from country to country details of the items that are subject to embargo are given separately for each country.

Exports: Weapons

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what his policy is on the export of thermobaric weapons; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: While there is no internationally agreed definition of a "thermobaric" weapon, weapons of this nature would be controlled under UK Military List (entry ML4) and exports from the UK would require an export licence. All export licence applications are carefully considered on a case by case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria.

Manufacturing Industries: Trade Competitiveness

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent steps the Government has taken to assist the UK manufacturing sector to compete internationally.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 8 October 2008
	 UK manufacturing is already very successful in global terms. The UK remains the world's sixth largest manufacturer. The Government launched its new strategy "Manufacturing: New Challenges, New Opportunities" last month. It brings together almost £150 million of support for UK manufacturing. Its overarching aim is to ensure that UK manufacturing continues to have the right long-term framework of support to ensure it emerges from the global slowdown stronger and fitter than ever, and better placed to exploit the new opportunities of an increasingly interconnected economy.
	The new package of support accompanying this strategy will help UK companies exploit the considerable opportunities in high growth new emerging markets. For example, UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) will provide new support for 600 companies of all sizes to identify manufacturing opportunities in India and China and will also promote UK manufacturing excellence internationally through UKTI led marketing campaigns.

SPIRE System

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the average time taken to process export licences granted under the SPIRE system involving countries of proliferation concern was in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and what the longest time taken for process approval of a licence has been since the system's inception.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 13 October 2008
	 The average time taken to process all Standard Individual Export Licence applications in the last 12 months was 20 working days. The longest time taken to process a case since the SPIRE system's inception is 198 days, in a case which required careful assessment of reported links between the end user and WMD programmes.
	There is no published list of countries of proliferation concern. However, the Export Control Organisation publishes quarterly figures on refusal percentages and processing times by destination for Standard Individual Export Licences on its website at:
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/europeandtrade/strategic-export-control/statistics/process-times/index.html

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Palace of Westminster: Utilities

Frank Doran: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what progress has been made with preparations for the planned works to replace the mechanical and electrical systems in the Palace of Westminster.

Nick Harvey: Much of the mechanical and electrical system within the Palace of Westminster has now exceeded its economic service life and major modernisation work is urgently required. It is becoming increasingly difficult to manage the existing services and to replace, repair or extend them as required in an efficient and effective manner and there is a growing risk that breakdown in these essential services could not be quickly repaired. The complete project will take many years and involve considerable cost.
	The Commission is concerned to ensure that the mechanical and electrical modernisation is carried out in the most economical way consistent with enabling the House to operate properly. Normal practice is that major works are only undertaken in the Palace of Westminster during the summer recess but the extensive scale of the work planned requires that the full range of options should be carefully considered. The Commission (working with the responsible bodies in the Lords) is therefore ordering a detailed feasibility study to examine whether substantial savings in cost, time and risk could be made by moving some operations of both Houses out of the Palace for a period to enable modernisation to be carried out continuously until its completion. All contingencies need to be looked at carefully. The feasibility study is expected to report in the middle of 2009. No decisions will be taken until all these options have been assessed.

TRANSPORT

A555: Repairs and Maintenance

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to decide upon the possible completion of the A555 beyond its junction with the A34; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: The south east Manchester relief road scheme raises substantial funding and affordability issues. The Department for Transport continues to work on the options with relevant stakeholders on this scheme promoted by Stockport metropolitan borough council.

Aviation

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 17 September 2008,  Official Report, columns 2242-3W, on aviation, what estimate he has made of the number of small claims actions pursued by plaintiffs and pursuers against airlines alleging non-compliance with EU Regulation 261/2004; what percentage of such actions have resulted in an award of damages to the consumer; and what the total sum paid by airlines in satisfaction of such claims is.

Jim Fitzpatrick: We are not in a position to estimate the number of small claims actions issued seeking compensation for non-compliance with EU Regulation 261/2004.
	Small claims actions by their nature are dealt with in the civil courts of England and Wales. The required information may be present in court records but is not collected centrally.
	The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is however aware of eight cases of court action, seven of which were successful in obtaining compensation. In the remaining case, the CAA intervened and successfully persuaded the airline concerned to pay, on a "without prejudice" basis. From its monitoring of the media and discussions with complainants, the CAA is aware anecdotally of other cases where passengers have successfully taken court action.

Buses: Vandalism

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost was of vandalism to buses in each of the last five years.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport does not hold data centrally on the cost of vandalism to buses. This is partly due to the difficulties in collecting national statistics across the varied reporting systems of the numerous bus companies currently in operation.
	However, the Department has commissioned research into the costs of crime committed on public transport in England, the results of which are due to be published next year.

Crossrail Line: Finance

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what financial commitments have been made by the Government as part of the Crossrail scheme for each of the next five years.

Paul Clark: Over the next five years, the Department for Transport and Transport for London (as joint sponsors of the Crossrail Project) will make total funding contributions of £5.7 billion for Crossrail. Further detail is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Year commencing  1 April  DfT committed funding  TfL committed funding 
			 2008 — 500 
			 2009 172 522 
			 2010 220 832 
			 2011 622 788 
			 2012 1,250 799 
			
			 Total 2,264 3,441

Departmental Consultants

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department has spent on consultancy fees since its establishment.

Geoff Hoon: The Department for Transport has spent £895.6 million on consultancy fees since it was established in May 2002. I would refer the hon. Member to the  Official Report dated 29 September 2008, column 2425W which gave details on a year by year basis. Figures for 2008-09 are not yet available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) electronic and  (b) manual requests using reasonable cause provisions were received by the Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available; how many manual requests were refused in each month and for what reasons; and what reasons for refusal were in each case.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information is not held in the form requested.

Driving Under Influence

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent consideration he has given to changing maximum levels of alcohol for drivers; and what factors were taken into account as part of such consideration.

Jim Fitzpatrick: We explained in the report of the second review of the Road Safety Strategy (February 2007) that we intend to keep the case for a reduction in the drink drive legal limit under review. We also made clear that the limit cannot be considered in isolation, and that our first priority is to improve enforcement, building on the recent achievements of the police. The Government are committed to public consultation on further measures to reduce alcohol-related road casualties and will publish a consultation document as soon as possible.

Railways: Airports

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his Department's high level output specification plan update for July 2008, what steps he is taking to ensure that carriages designed for use on services to airports are refurbished and made fit for purpose when cascaded to train operating companies running other services; and what the estimated completion dates for phases one, two and three of the plan are.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport does not specify rolling stock types or interior layouts and design. It is for the train operator to ensure rolling stock deployed is appropriate for the market it serves. The timing of phases one, two and three of the plan is not fixed as it is dependent on the progress of the commercial negotiations between the Department and the train operating companies.

Railways: Exhaust Emissions

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to her statement on 22 April 2008,  Official Report, column 1184, that a high-speed rail service emits approximately double the carbon dioxide of a lower-speed rail service, 
	(1)  if she will place in the Library her Department's analysis of the carbon dioxide emissions from high-speed rail and lower-speed rail;
	(2)  how much her Department spent on analysing the carbon dioxide emissions from high-speed and lower-speed rail in the latest period for which figures are available; and how many staff worked on that analysis;
	(3)  what estimate she has made of the volume of carbon dioxide emitted per mile travelled by  (a) a high speed train,  (b) a lower speed train and  (c) an average aeroplane.

Paul Clark: The 2007 Rail White Paper estimated that carbon emissions per passenger for a journey between London and Edinburgh would be approximately 7 kg for conventional speed rail, 14 kg for high speed rail and 26 kg for aviation.
	This analysis was informed by Professor Roger Kemp's work on the environmental impact of high speed rail and his report for the Rail Safety and Standards Board on traction energy metrics. Further information on the assumptions underpinning these estimates can be found on the Department for Transport's website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/about/strategy/whitepapers/whitepapercm7176/
	Professor Kemp's energy metrics report can be found at:
	http://www.rssb.co.uk/pdf/reports/research/T618_traction-energy-metrics_final.pdf.
	Departmental staff have analysed the carbon impacts of high speed rail but within the context of their wider environmental and rail responsibilities. Consequently, the Department is unable to provide the information on staff and resources as requested.
	In March this year, the Secretary of State invited Network Rail to examine options for supporting further growth in the longer term, which might include new conventional and high speed lines. As part of this work, further consideration will be given to the relative carbon performance of higher and lower speed rail options.

Roads: Tolls

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 7 May 2008 to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar,  Official Report, column 893W, on roads: tolls, what progress has been made in establishing the road charging trials involving volunteers.

Paul Clark: On 15 September 2008 the Government confirmed the names of the companies who will run the Demonstrations Project on road pricing technology. Eight bids were received in response to the invitation to tender for the Road User Service Provider's Framework, of which four were successful. They were Intelligent Mechatronic Systems (UK), Sanef Tolling Limited, T-Systems Ltd. and Trafficmaster Plc.
	As we announced in 2007 and then updated Parliament in July this year, these trials will explore how time-distance-place charging can work accurately, reliably and affordably while safeguarding privacy. Designing an effective mechanism to achieve these aims presents a significant challenge. We believe that this project will help local authorities in the longer-term development of their plans for combining a local congestion charging scheme investment with major investment in public transport.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will reply to question 220177, on staff, tabled on 15 July.

Geoff Hoon: I replied to the hon. Member on 13 October 2008,  Official Report, column 892W.

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Equality

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what estimate she has made of the number of people who will be required to monitor compliance of the provisions of the Equality Bill, if enacted.

Maria Eagle: There is no legal requirement on any particular organisation or person to monitor compliance with discrimination legislation generally and the Government intend to maintain this arrangement in the new Equality Bill. However, the Equality and Human Rights Commission has a statutory duty to monitor the effectiveness of discrimination legislation; powers to undertake inquiries and investigations and the power to enforce compliance with public sector duties. So, it will be up to the Commission to consider the allocation of resources to tasks which arise from the provisions of the new Equality Bill.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Support

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many maintenance calculations were made by the Child Support Agency in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) the UK in each year since 1997.

Kitty Ussher: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many maintenance calculations were made by the Child Support Agency in (a) Jarrow constituency (b) South Tyneside (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 1997.
	The Agency is able to collate the requested information on current scheme maintenance calculations on cases maintained on the CS2 computer system only. The information available is further restricted to the initial assessment only, although many cases can be reassessed as circumstances change throughout their lifetime.
	The information available is provided in the attached table.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  Current scheme initial maintenance calculations 
			   Great Britain  North East  South Tyneside  Jarrow 
			 2003-04 68,500 2,900 200 100 
			 2004-05 94,200 4,700 300 200 
			 2005-06 126,000 6,900 500 200 
			 2006-07 134,700 7,500 500 200 
			 2007-08 141,500 8,700 600 300 
			  Notes: 1. Figures include all current scheme cases with an initial maintenance calculation. 2. As the current scheme came into existence in 2003, figures only go back to this date. 3. Cases have been allocated to the North East region, Jarrow parliamentary constituency and South Tyneside local authority by matching the postcode of the parent with care against the Office for National Statistics postcode directory. 4. Many cases can be re-assessed during their lifetime. Management information for current scheme cases only captures the number of initial assessments. Management information also exists on the date of the latest assessment for current scheme cases. However, as many cases could have been re-assessed many times between the initial assessment and latest assessment, a large proportion of re-assessments are excluded from the data. For this reason, only initial assessments have been included in the information provided. 5. CSCS calculations are not included in these figures. When a CSCS case is closed it is removed from the management information. A large proportion of CSCS cases will have closed and therefore the initial calculation date cannot be extracted from them. 6. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.

Employment Vacancies: Chelmsford

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many notified vacancies there were in Chelmsford local authority area in each of the last six months for which figures are available.

James Purnell: holding answer 6 October 2008
	The available information is in the table.
	
		
			  Number of vacancies notified to Jobcentre Plus in the Chelmsford local authority area—March to August, 2008 
			   Number 
			 March 1,029 
			 April 930 
			 May 1,052 
			 June 1,195 
			 July 1,339 
			 August 1,246 
			  Notes: 1. Jobcentre Plus handles only a proportion of vacancies notified by employers. Consequently the figures do not represent the total number of job vacancies available. 2. Interpretation of the Jobcentre vacancy data should take account of changes in recent years to Jobcentre Plus procedures for taking and handling vacancies. The figures are not fully comparable over time and may not indicate changes in labour demand. 3. The Jobcentre Plus vacancies series do not provide comprehensive measures relating to all vacancies in the economy. The proportion of vacancies which are notified by employers to Jobcentre Plus varies over time, according to the occupation and industry of the vacancies and also by geographical area. 4. Comprehensive estimates of all job vacancies (not just those notified to Jobcentre Plus) are available from the monthly ONS Vacancy Survey since April 2001, based on a sample of some 6,000 enterprises. However, the ONS survey is currently designed to provide national estimates only.  Source: Jobcentre Plus Labour Market System.

Income Support: Mortgages

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to offer additional support to householders who are having difficulties meeting their mortgage repayments; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: On 2 September we announced that we will reform Support for Mortgage Interest to simplify the system and make it easier for people who are eligible to claim.
	The changes include shortening the waiting period before support for mortgage interest is paid from 39 or 26 weeks to 13 weeks for new working age claims from April 2009; increasing the capital limit for new working age claims from £100,000 to £175,000 from April 2009 to take into account the value of people's homes today; and introducing a two year time limit on support for mortgage interest for new jobseeker's allowance claims only.
	The system of support for home owners will be reviewed once housing market conditions improve.

Jobcentre Plus: Correspondence

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how long on average it took for Royal Mail Opening Units to receive, open, sort and deliver post to Jobcentre Plus sites using the service in each month in 2008 to date.

Tony McNulty: The time taken by Mail Opening Units to receive, open, sort and deliver post is currently not recorded, however, the contracted time for this process equates to 12 hours. Management information gathered supports that this requirement is met.

Jobseeker's Allowance

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how much was paid in jobseeker's allowance in each financial year since 2005;
	(2)  how much was paid in jobseeker's allowance in each financial year from 2001 to 2005;
	(3)  how much was paid in jobseeker's allowance in each financial year from 1997 to 2001.

Tony McNulty: The information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Jobseeker's allowance (JSA) expenditure: 1997-98 to 2007-08 
			  £ million, nominal 
			  JSA  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Contribution based 475 474 459 447 470 519 507 445 486 478 420 
			 Income based 3,418 3,083 2,796 2,435 2,136 2,105 2,052 1,759 1,823 1,962 1,789 
			 Total 3,893 3,557 3,255 2,882 2,606 2,624 2,559 2,204 2,309 2,440 2,209 
			  Source: DWP accounting data

Pensioners: Poverty

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what response he has made to recent representations by the National Pensioners' Convention on the number of pensioners living on less than 40 per cent. of the median population income.

Rosie Winterton: Tackling pensioner poverty continues to be one of this Government's key priorities.
	The Government have introduced a number of measures to reduce the number of older people in poverty. In 1997, the poorest pensioners lived on around £69 a week, today pension credit ensures that no-one needs to live on less than £124.05 a week (£189.35 for a couple). We have successively raised the standard minimum guarantee in pension credit at least in line with earnings in every year since its introduction, and the value of the safety-net we provide for the poorest pensioners has increased by over a third in real terms since 1997.
	Our commitments in the Pensions Act 2007 to continue to uprate the pension credit standard minimum guarantee in line with earnings over the long term, and to reintroduce the earnings link to basic state pension from 2012, or by the end of the next Parliament, will help secure these gains into the future.
	We will continue to strive to ensure that older people are aware of, and take up their entitlements through initiatives such as; using sophisticated data matching to identify eligible non-recipients, home visits for vulnerable customers, local and national advertising and media campaigns, a simple and straight-forward claim process and ever closer working with partner organisations. In addition to pension credit we have increased winter fuel payments to £200 for households with someone aged 60-79, and £300 for those with someone aged 80 or over. And we will be making an additional payment for winter 2008-09 of £50 for households with someone aged 60-79 and £100 for those with someone aged 80 or over. Since 1997, we have also introduced free eye-tests, free bus passes for pensioners and free television licences for over 75s.

Post Office Card Account

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to make a decision on the award of the contract for the Post Office card account.

Rosie Winterton: The procurement process is still under way.
	An announcement will be made as soon as possible.

Post Office Card Account

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will ensure that his forthcoming decision on the Post Office card account does not jeopardise the viability of local post offices; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The procurement process is still under way.
	An announcement of the outcome will be made as soon as possible.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what professional qualifications are required of doctors who carry out personal capability assessments for his Department; and under what level of oversight they operate.

Jonathan R Shaw: Each doctor is required to have full unconditional General Medical Council registration, and at least three years post full registration experience. The doctors carrying out Personal Capability Assessments must also be approved to carry out assessments by the Chief Medical Adviser to the Department on behalf of the Secretary of State. This condition can only be waived, in exceptional cases, at the discretion of the Chief Medical Advisor. In addition, every doctor must complete a course in disability assessment medicine, and undergo training specific to the benefits with which they are dealing.
	Approval by the Chief Medical Advisor is dependent upon ongoing demonstration that the work being carried out meets a satisfactory standard. This is done through regular monitoring, prior to approval, for new entrants, and continuing random audits for all doctors to ensure that standards remain high. Approval to carry out assessments will be removed if their work does not continue at the required standard. This monitoring is carried out by the company who are contracted to provide medical services, ATOS Healthcare. The Department also carries out a range of quality checks independently.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Bolivia: Politics and Government

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the Union of South American Nations' special summit on 15 September on developments in Bolivia.

Gillian Merron: The Government was pleased with the outcome of the Union of South American Nations' (UNASUR) summit meeting on 15 September. Following the summit, the EU, with strong UK backing, issued a statement on 19 September that: supported the steps taken by UNASUR; endorsed the terms of the Palacio de la Moneda Declaration; welcomed that the UNASUR meeting facilitated the signature on 16 September of an agreement to open a national dialogue; and stated the EU's readiness to respond favourably to an invitation to support that dialogue alongside other national and international actors.
	The EU Troika is acting as an international facilitator in the national dialogue, in close cooperation with the UNASUR delegation. Our ambassador to Bolivia is participating as a member of the Troika.

Departmental ICT

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information technology projects initiated by his Department have been cancelled prior to completion in the last five years; and what the cost of each such project was to the public purse.

Gillian Merron: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not cancelled any significant information technology projects during the past five years. To provide more detailed information, on small individual projects—including from across our network of posts—would incur disproportionate cost.

Departmental Written Questions

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many and what proportion of written questions for answer on a named day his Department has answered on the due date in the current session of Parliament to date.

Gillian Merron: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office responded to 62 per cent. (484 of 785) of written named day parliamentary questions on the due date in the current parliamentary session to date.

Georgia: South Ossetia

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information his Department holds on whether the US administration was informed in advance about Georgian plans to take military action in South Ossetia.

Caroline Flint: We have no information to suggest that the US Administration was informed in advance of Georgian actions. The US Administration has stated in hearings before the US Congress that they had warned the Georgians not to fall victim to provocations, and whatever their fears, a military response would be a mistake. Prior to 7 August, the US and others, including the UK, had encouraged all parties to avoid actions that would escalate tensions.

Malta: Foreign Relations

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last visited Malta; what recent steps he has taken to strengthen United Kingdom economic, commercial, cultural and educational links with Malta; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary regularly meets with his Maltese counterpart at the General Affairs and External Relations Councils, which occur monthly. The last visit by a Foreign Secretary to Malta was by my right hon. Friend the Member for Blackburn (Mr. Straw) in November 2005.
	The UK is Malta's second largest trading partner after Italy (2008 first quarter provisional figures). British business therefore thrives in Malta. Thousands of British tourists visit Malta each year, contributing to Malta's tourism industry.
	British culture features regularly in Malta, spanning a wide spectrum from the Globe Theatre group to Duran Duran. The most recent event was a poetry reading by Douglas Dunn earlier last month.
	The UK continues to be the country of choice for Maltese post graduates and since Malta's entry into the EU the number of Maltese students choosing to do undergraduate degree courses in the UK has been increasing steadily.
	We co-operate closely in other fields such as defence, with regular ships visits and training for the armed forces of Malta. A member of the armed forces of Malta is currently receiving training at Dartmouth and another will go to Sandhurst in September.

Malta: Foreign Relations

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of relations with Malta; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: We regularly assess our relations with Malta. The relationship between Malta and the UK continues to be strong, based on our shared history and our membership of the EU and the Commonwealth. We have regular engagement with the Maltese through bilateral contacts and international institutions, especially the EU.

Somalia: Piracy

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on trends in the levels of piracy and theft affecting shipping transporting food aid to Somalia; if he will discuss with his international counterparts the protection of food aid to Somalia from piracy and theft; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: Prior to French intervention in 2007, World Food programme aid shipments had come under pirate attack. Since the autumn of 2007, the French, Danes and Dutch have all undertaken escort duties which have been successful in deterring further attacks. Canada has agreed to escort World Food programme vessels from mid August. The Government have regularly discussed how best to secure a sustainable, long term solution for protection of food aid shipments from the threat of piracy with both European Union and other international partners.

Sri Lanka: EU External Trade

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government plans to make over the EU General System of Preference Plus (GSP+) status of Sri Lanka for trade purposes, to be reviewed in December, in the light of Sri Lanka's human rights record and the linkage between trade preferences and human rights in the GSP+ scheme legal provisions; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Foster: I have been asked to reply.
	Decisions on Sri Lanka's General System of Preference Plus (GSP+) status take place at an EU level, and we will participate fully in EU discussions about the future of Sri Lanka's GSP+ status.
	We will encourage the Government of Sri Lanka to engage with the Commission to demonstrate its compliance with the human rights and other conventions underpinning the GSP+ scheme.

Tamils

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the numbers of Tamil women and children displaced in Sri Lanka since the end of July 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Foster: I have been asked to reply.
	We estimate that the number of Sri Lankans displaced in the latest surge in conflict between the Sri Lankan armed forces and separatist extremists has risen from approximately 75,000 in July to between 200,000 and 250,000. Most of these people are Tamils. We estimate that about two thirds of them are likely to be women and children, but it is not possible to calculate numbers exactly because there is no humanitarian access. They are trapped between opposing forces in a pocket of north-east Sri Lanka without the assistance they need. There are plans by the United Nations and the Sri Lankan authorities to mount relief convoys but so far very little is getting through. As I said in the House on 14 October 2008,  Official Repor t, columns 240-48WH, we deplore this situation, have called on all parties to the conflict to facilitate access and humanitarian aid and have committed a further £2.5 million in humanitarian relief through the international agencies.
	We estimate that the total number of internally displaced people in Sri Lanka is now at least 500,000.

PRIME MINISTER

Departmental Visits Abroad

Pete Wishart: To ask the Prime Minister on how many occasions he has left the United Kingdom since his appointment in pursuit of his official duties; what the purpose of each visit was; what the total cost of each visit was; and how many people accompanied him on each visit.

Gordon Brown: Since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. Copies of these lists are available in the Library of the House. Information on the number of officials accompanying Ministers on overseas visits is included in the list.
	All Ministers' travel arrangements are in accordance with the arrangements for official travel set out in chapter 10 of the Ministerial Code.
	For information from 2007-08 I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement I made on 22 July 2008,  Official Report, column 103WS. Information for 2008-09 will be published in the normal way.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Departmental Pay

David Simpson: To ask the Leader of the House how many non-pensionable bonuses were awarded to members of staff in her Department in the last 12 months; and at what total cost.

Chris Bryant: A total of eight non-pensionable bonuses were awarded to members of staff in 2007 at a total cost of £11,477.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Fine Defaulters

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of prisoners in Northern Ireland are fine defaulters.

Paul Goggins: On any given day around 2 per cent. of prisoners are in prison for fine default. In the past year, 28 per cent. of all prison receptions were for fine default.
	In July my right hon. Friend the Member for Delyn (Mr. Hanson) and I published a set of wide-ranging proposals to improve the enforcement of fines.

Fuel Smuggling

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of smuggling of fuel into Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: Law enforcement agencies in Northern Ireland and the Republic are actively engaged in a range of operations against fuel fraudsters. In recent weeks there have been a number of significant arrests with almost 30,000 litres of illegal fuel seized together with cash, lorries, cars and other equipment.

Policing and Justice

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the budget for Northern Ireland policing and justice is over the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office's budget for policing is £1.1 billion for each of the next three years and £0.3 billion for justice for the same period.
	The justice budget does not cover the NI Court Service which is the responsibility of the Lord Chancellor.
	This level of funding reflects our commitment to sustained investment in policing and justice.

Security

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had with the First Minister and Deputy First Minister on security in Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: I meet with the First Minister and Deputy First Minister regularly to discuss a range of issues, including security.

Drug-related Crime

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of policing of drug-related crime in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier to the hon. Member for South-West Bedfordshire (Andrew Selous)

Paramilitary Activity

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment he has made of levels of paramilitary activity in the Province.

Shaun Woodward: The principal security threat today comes from Dissident republican factions which remain active and dangerous.
	The latest IMC Report has confirmed that PIRA has completely relinquished the leadership and other structures appropriate to a time of armed conflict and that the Army Council is effectively redundant.
	Loyalist groups have made progress but have yet to decommission their arms.

Prison Population

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the likely size of the prison population in Northern Ireland in each of the next three years.

Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Prison Service population is currently 1,551. Estimates for the size of the prisoner population over the next three years are 1,632 in 2009-10, 1,697 in 2010-11 and 1,765 in 2011-12. This is based on a 5 per cent. increase up to 2009-10 and 4 per cent. thereafter.

Omagh Bombing

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to ensure full disclosure to the families of the victims of the Omagh bombing of information to be made available to Sir Peter Gibson in his review of the handling of intercept intelligence relating to that event.

Shaun Woodward: The Prime Minister has invited Sir Peter Gibson to undertake a review of the intercepted intelligence material available to the security and intelligence agencies in relation to the bombing and how it was shared. The Prime Minister has said he will report the outcome of the review to the House as soon as possible after he has received Sir Peter's report.

On-the-run Prisoners

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the number of on-the-run prisoners; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: From 2003 to date, five prisoners remain unlawfully at large. All five were on pre-release home leave; four of the five within two months of release. The fifth, who was within five months of release, was on a town visit, prior to entering the Foyleview regime at Magilligan prison, where he would have availed of alternate weekend home leave.

2008 Olympic/Paralympic Games

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the performance of sportsmen and women from Northern Ireland in the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic games.

Paul Goggins: Although I have had no recent discussions with Northern Ireland Ministers on this matter, I understand that the hon. Member for East Londonderry, the Northern Ireland Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure has warmly congratulated all the athletes from Northern Ireland who participated in the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic games in Beijing, and held a reception for all the athletes on 6 October in Parliament buildings.

Antisocial Behaviour

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many antisocial behaviour injunctions have been issued in Northern Ireland since April 2007.

Paul Goggins: Injunctions against antisocial behaviour fall under the Housing (Northern Ireland) Order 2003 and as such are a devolved matter under the responsibility of the Department for Social Development.
	However, the NI housing executive have advised that they have secured three such injunctions against antisocial behaviour since April 2007.

Winter Fuel Payments

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on increases to the winter fuel payment; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced on 12 March 2008 the Government's intention to increase winter fuel payments; these were discussed within Government in the normal way.
	Social security is of course a devolved matter in Northern Ireland.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Departmental Buildings

Pete Wishart: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on which buildings occupied by his Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies the lease will be due for renewal in the next four years.

Kevin Brennan: The Cabinet Office is responsible for leases relating to one floor of Stockley House, Victoria, London which expire in 2011. Disposal of this space is currently being pursued and there is no intention to renew the lease on expiry.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

James Duddridge: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 14 July 2008,  Official Report, column 238W, on departmental carbon emissions, if he will place in the Library a copy of the dataset and the accompanying methodology used by the Cabinet Office to calculate its payments to the Offsetting Fund in  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2006-07.

Tom Watson: The information requested by the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend, East has been placed in the Library.

Departmental Computers

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what recent advice he has issued to departments on the storage of personal data on memory sticks or other portable data storage devices.

Tom Watson: I refer the hon. Member to the Data Handling Report published on 25 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 25-6WS, as well as the cross government mandatory minimum requirements in relation to personal data security.
	The Data Handling Review states that where data has to be put onto removable media, departments should minimise the information transferred, use encryption and limit user access. References to this guidance can be found in paragraph 13 of the cross government mandatory minimum measures on the following Cabinet Office website; a copy of which has been placed in the libraries of the House.
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/~/media/assets/www.cabinet office.gov.uk/csia/dhr/cross_gov080625%20pdf.ashx

Departmental Video Recordings

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 4 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1046W, on departmental recordings, what the titles are of the online videos produced for internal audiences which are available on his Department's intranet.

Tom Watson: A range of films are produced for internal audiences and are available on the departmental intranet, for example: Cabinet Secretary's address at the All Staff Event 2 July 2008; Cabinet Office Board Meeting 5 June 2008; and About the Women's Network.

Powers of Entry

James Duddridge: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what  (a) primary and  (b) secondary legislation sponsored by his Department has (i) amended and (ii) enhanced existing powers of entry since May 1997.

Tom Watson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Member for Gedling (Mr. Coaker) on 7 October 2008,  Official Report, column 577W.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Criminal Investigation: Data Protection

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what protections are planned in the proposed use of deep packet inspection equipment to ensure that data obtained by these means is not lost or stolen and that police and intelligence agencies do not use their access to this database for purposes other than fighting crime or terrorism.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 13 October 2008
	The safeguards set out in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 and related statutory codes of practice govern the access to communications data irrespective of the technical means of collection. Unauthorised access to, or disclosure of, data is also an offence under the Data Protection Act 1998.

Extradition: Crimes Against Humanity

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many individuals have been subject to extradition proceedings for  (a) suspected war crimes,  (b) crimes against humanity and  (c) genocide since 2000, broken down by (i) requesting state and (ii) the state in which the crime is alleged to have been committed;
	(2)  how many extradition requests were received under Part 1 of the Extradition Act 2003 for individuals alleged to have committed  (a) war crimes,  (b) crimes against humanity and  (c) genocide in each year since the Act came into force, broken down by (i) requesting state and (ii) the state in which the crime is alleged to have been committed.

Meg Hillier: It is not the normal policy or practice, to confirm or deny the existence of any extradition request ahead of a person's arrest. With that caveat in mind, the following table shows the number of persons arrested in the UK on such charges pursuant to extradition requests received since 2000. In all cases, the alleged conduct was carried out in the requesting state. There have been no European Arrest Warrants issued to the UK for persons accused of conduct falling within the scope of this question. The EAW has been in operation in the UK since 1 January 2004.
	
		
			  Extradition requests 
			  Year received( 1)  Number of requests  Conduct  Requesting state 
			 2000 — — — 
			 
			 2001 — — — 
			 
			 2002 1 War Crimes Croatia 
			 
			 2003 — — — 
			 
			 2004 — — — 
			 
			 2005 — — — 
			 
			 2006 1 War Crimes Croatia 
			  4 Genocide Rwanda 
			 (1) One extradition request from Spain for offences allegedly committed in Chile was received before 2000, but was refused by the then Home Secretary in March 2000.

Investigatory Powers Tribunal

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times the Investigatory Powers Tribunal has met to investigate specific cases in each year since it was established.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 9 October 2008
	 No figures are available on how many times the tribunal has met in each of the years requested. However, the following table shows the number of applications it has received and investigations concluded for each of those years.
	
		
			  Period  Applications received  Investigations concluded 
			 2 October-31 December 2001 102 71 
			 1 January-31 December 2002 130 95 
			 1 January-31 December 2003 109 100 
			 1 January-31 December 2004 90 115 
			 1 January-31 December 2005 80 93 
			 1 January-31 December 2006 86 81 
			 1 January-31 December 2007 66 83

Investigatory Powers Tribunal

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she last met the Chairman of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal.

Vernon Coaker: The right hon. Lord Justice Mummery is President of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal and my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has not met him.

Investigatory Powers Tribunal

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the  (a) name and  (b) title is of each person who sits on the Investigatory Powers Tribunal.

Vernon Coaker: The Tribunal currently consists of six members. They are: Lord Justice Mummery (President); Mr. Justice Burton (Vice-President); Sir Richard Gaskeil; sheriff principal John McInnes QC; Mr. Peter Scott QC; and Mr. Robert Seabrook QC.

Investigatory Powers Tribunal

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the  (a) cost was of establishing and  (b) expected annual running cost is of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal.

Vernon Coaker: The Investigatory Powers Tribunal was established in October 2000 with minimal start up costs as it replaced existing bodies: the Interception of Communications Tribunal, the Security Service Tribunal, the Intelligence Services Tribunal and the complaints committee that dealt with Part III of the Police Act 1997. The Investigatory Powers Tribunal and the Interception of Communications Commissioner's Office have a common Secretariat and the combined running costs of both for 2008-09 is £980,000.

Investigatory Powers Tribunal

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what powers she has to ensure that cases of abuse of intrusive surveillance are investigated by the Investigatory Powers Tribunal; and what the process of appeal is for a person who is dissatisfied with  (a) the Tribunal decision not to review their complaint and  (b) the Tribunal's decision on their complaint.

Vernon Coaker: The Investigatory Powers Tribunal's statutory responsibilities are set out in Part IV of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000. There is no domestic right of appeal against Tribunal decisions.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to answer the letter of 12 June 2008 to her from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on Florence Gachvgi.

Jacqui Smith: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 29 July 2008.

Police Arbitration Tribunal

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make it her policy to  (a) implement the decisions of the Police Arbitration Tribunal and  (b) backdate that implementation.

Vernon Coaker: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary will consider any recommendation of the Police Arbitration Tribunal very carefully. In doing so she will take account of the tribunal's findings and reasoning, and relevant factors including affordability and Government policy on public sector pay, including the maintenance of low inflation.

Police Custody: Death

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average cost of investigating the death by non-natural causes of a prisoner held in police custody was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: This information is not held centrally.

Police Custody: Death

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are taken to investigate the death from non-natural causes of a prisoner held in police custody.

Vernon Coaker: Under the Police Reform Act 2002, deaths in custody constitute a mandatory referral to the IPCC. The IPCC assesses each referral in line with its obligations, including under article 2 of the Human Rights Act, considers the circumstances of the case referred and decides the appropriate mode of investigation.
	An IPCC Commissioner has oversight of the investigation and agrees its recommendation.

Police: Disciplinary Proceedings

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers  (a) below superintendent rank and  (b) of superintendent rank and above have been suspended by Lancashire Constabulary.

Vernon Coaker: As at the end of March 2008, six officers below the rank of superintendent were suspended. There were no officers of superintendent and above suspended.

Police: Pay

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has for the implementation of the outcomes of the police pay and conditions arbitration process; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary will consider any recommendation of the Police Arbitration Tribunal very carefully. In doing so she will take account of the tribunal's findings and reasoning, and relevant factors including affordability and Government policy on public sector pay, including the maintenance of low inflation.

Police: Procurement

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the marginal costs of duplicate procurement cycles in police forces in England and Wales.

Vernon Coaker: The "Efficiency and Productivity Strategy for the Police Service 2008-11" makes clear that savings can be made by the police service through increased collaborative procurement, including the use of national and regional contracts for, or open to the police service. The recent Green Paper "From The Neighbourhood to the National: Policing our Communities Together" makes clear that increasingly the Government expect police authorities and chief constables to consider whether procurement decisions should be made locally (collaborating with local partners), regionally or nationally, depending on the nature of the market.
	We welcome the work that police forces are doing to implement the procurement strategy for the years to 2011 agreed earlier this year by the Association of Chief Police Officers. That strategy recognises that delivering more efficient procurement depends upon forces, along with local and national partners, aligning plans and reducing duplication.

Police: Resignations

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers retired due to ill health or long-term illness between the ages of  (a) 21 to 30,  (b) 31 to 40,  (c) 41 to 50 and  (d) 51 to 60 years in the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: The age of those leaving the service due to medical retirements is not collected centrally.
	The number of police officer medical retirements have been published each year by Her Majesty's inspectorate of constabulary (HMIC) in their annual report. HMIC have advised that these data will no longer be published in their annual report and that the data for 2004-05 would be the last series of data to be published.
	The available data are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Police officer medical retirements( 1)  by force from 2000-01 to 2004-05( 2) 
			  Full-time equivalent( 3) 
			  Police force  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Avon and Somerset 42 42 34 10 16 
			 Bedfordshire 18 8 7 1 3 
			 Cambridgeshire 11 10 8 4 1 
			 Cheshire 22 22 25 15 11 
			 City of London 9 8 4 8 4 
			 Cleveland 9 21 11 11 11 
			 Cumbria 24 7 7 4 3 
			 Derbyshire 12 9 12 2 9 
			 Devon and Cornwall 15 19 9 6 9 
			 Dorset 12 10 3 9 4 
			 Durham 8 15 11 6 7 
			 Dyfed-Powys 14 13 11 7 9 
			 Essex 34 32 21 16 13 
			 Gloucestershire 7 10 13 5 2 
			 Greater Manchester 110 57 33 10 14 
			 Gwent 16 24 22 8 13 
			 Hampshire 17 19 11 11 8 
			 Hertfordshire 13 8 7 3 1 
			 Humberside 20 11 10 2 10 
			 Kent 29 38 21 9 6 
			 Lancashire 30 39 22 13 11 
			 Leicestershire 28 7 9 6 8 
			 Lincolnshire 4 3 10 3 7 
			 Merseyside 47 58 51 25 25 
			 Metropolitan Police 225 219 150 60 64 
			 Norfolk 10 16 13 6 10 
			 Northamptonshire 8 6 3 3 3 
			 Northumbria 28 33 21 9 4 
			 North Wales 31 20 14 6 7 
			 North Yorkshire 37 16 9 8 8 
			 Nottinghamshire 16 14 16 12 15 
			 South Wales 76 50 33 14 8 
			 South Yorkshire 30 30 17 12 3 
			 Staffordshire 9 24 22 14 13 
			 Suffolk 14 13 12 8 3 
			 Surrey 18 24 12 10 6 
			 Sussex 16 16 9 4 12 
			 Thames Valley 20 17 29 17 8 
			 Warwickshire 15 7 8 4 3 
			 West Mercia 28 28 20 11 10 
			 West Midlands 29 30 21 13 12 
			 West Yorkshire 44 61 23 11 5 
			 Wiltshire 5 3 15 2 6 
			 Total 1,209 1,114 819 418 405 
			 (1) Data collated on behalf of and published by HMIC. HMIC have advised that these data will no longer be published in their annual report and that the data for 2004-05 would be the last series of data to be published. (2) Financial year runs 1 April to 31 March inclusive. (3) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items.

Police: Rules of Engagement

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with the Association of Chief Police Officers on rules of engagement since 2006.

Vernon Coaker: h olding answer 13 October 2008
	There have been no such discussions. Operational tactics when using firearms are a matter for the police. The use of firearms by the police is closely governed by Guidelines produced by the Association of Chief Police Officers (available at):
	www.westmercia.police.uk.
	Chief Officers must decide in any given circumstances whether armed officers should be authorised to use their firearms. Once authorised to use firearms, it is for the individual officer to ensure they act within the law. The Criminal Law Act 1967 provides that the police may use such force as is reasonable in the circumstances to effect an arrest or to prevent crime.

Robbery: Detection Rates

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the overall detection rate for robbery was in each police force in each year since 1988.

Jacqui Smith: Detection rates at police force area level have been published for robbery since 1990 and are given in the following tables.
	It should be noted that non-sanction detections which contribute to the overall detection rates have fallen in recent years reflecting a significant shift by many police forces away from recording detections where no further action is taken. For this reason overall detection rates over time are not fully comparable.
	
		
			  Table 1: Overall detection rates for robbery offences by police force area, 1990 to 2001-02 
			  Police force area  1990  1991  1992  1993  1994  1995  1996  1997  1998-99( 1)  1999-2000( 2)  2000-01  2001-02 
			 Avon and Somerset 37 27 20 19 28 25 23 25 23 15 14 10 
			 Bedfordshire 22 18 20 17 20 16 26 32 29 20 23 17 
			 British Transport Police n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Cambridgeshire 44 40 36 40 39 28 53 35 21 25 25 22 
			 Cheshire 60 52 50 41 55 54 60 58 40 36 39 32 
			 Cleveland 29 42 40 33 32 31 25 25 19 19 17 18 
			 Cumbria 54 68 48 48 50 51 51 60 61 51 38 43 
			 Derbyshire 41 33 40 34 29 27 29 29 31 30 24 24 
			 Devon and Cornwall 45 40 31 33 34 30 38 41 37 42 40 34 
			 Dorset 45 45 35 45 42 39 26 37 29 28 19 19 
			 Durham 40 47 52 46 47 54 50 52 38 43 42 36 
			 Dyfed-Powys 67 50 90 65 68 96 81 91 93 68 91 77 
			 Essex 37 32 36 30 33 27 24 38 33 28 26 25 
			 Gloucestershire 42 46 32 33 34 32 25 29 36 29 34 26 
			 Greater Manchester 32 29 27 24 29 22 19 20 19 15 14 14 
			 Gwent 68 58 53 56 51 63 63 68 53 52 51 58 
			 Hampshire 51 39 34 35 33 32 41 36 38 36 32 30 
			 Hertfordshire 37 37 27 49 34 39 39 40 38 28 34 31 
			 Humberside 40 41 21 24 22 23 26 26 27 17 20 17 
			 Kent 39 42 37 34 37 34 45 40 44 42 26 27 
			 Lancashire 56 55 44 43 40 38 38 28 31 30 25 24 
			 Leicestershire 44 34 37 30 32 37 30 36 32 29 27 21 
			 Lincolnshire 44 53 38 42 45 40 44 58 41 43 38 32 
			 London, City of 34 28 37 20 48 28 21 35 24 14 42 17 
			 Merseyside 21 21 19 21 17 20 24 25 23 18 21 19 
			 Metropolitan Police 15 13 13 14 14 18 22 24 16 12 12 11 
			 Norfolk 50 47 44 32 46 34 31 40 35 28 26 24 
			 Northamptonshire 37 28 36 41 33 33 41 38 45 40 33 32 
			 Northumbria 37 27 28 25 23 26 29 35 32 32 29 32 
			 North Wales 51 54 39 53 52 51 42 52 44 47 39 34 
			 North Yorkshire 46 50 45 38 40 39 40 49 41 34 33 29 
			 Nottinghamshire 36 33 28 32 30 32 33 27 21 21 18 16 
			 South Wales 56 43 42 47 38 42 49 61 46 46 45 42 
			 South Yorkshire 41 36 32 26 31 27 29 33 35 27 28 24 
			 Staffordshire 50 46 34 30 44 34 38 40 32 25 24 20 
			 Suffolk 53 50 47 44 44 47 42 55 43 53 45 40 
			 Surrey 31 33 32 34 34 35 47 35 48 32 36 32 
			 Sussex 36 28 30 29 27 31 35 35 27 22 23 27 
			 Thames Valley 41 29 29 30 27 31 35 35 30 23 25 26 
			 Warwickshire 43 35 38 31 35 28 32 38 29 30 28 30 
			 West Mercia 59 53 49 42 45 36 41 45 39 36 34 28 
			 West Midlands 41 31 24 22 19 18 20 22 23 18 21 21 
			 West Yorkshire 37 31 27 28 28 25 39 39 27 28 23 20 
			 Wiltshire 48 40 28 41 34 46 44 49 40 29 29 32 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) The number of crimes detected in that financial year using the expanded coverage and revised counting rules which came into effect on 1 April 1998. (2) New instructions which clarified the rules for detecting crime were introduced on 1 April 1999. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Overall detection rates for robbery offences by police force area, 2002-03 to 2007-08( 1) 
			  Police force area  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Avon and Somerset 13 15 15 17 19 20 
			 Bedfordshire 19 15 23 19 12 16 
			 British Transport Police 24 28 29 30 36 39 
			 Cambridgeshire 20 19 24 25 18 20 
			 Cheshire 25 27 24 22 26 23 
			 Cleveland 19 17 19 20 23 26 
			 Cumbria 38 31 29 45 34 44 
			 Derbyshire 24 19 26 25 22 26 
			 Devon and Cornwall 23 27 25 27 22 28 
			 Dorset 17 19 25 31 27 28 
			 Durham 29 33 25 30 30 40 
			 Dyfed-Powys 75 50 37 70 43 57 
			 Essex 21 21 23 24 24 21 
			 Gloucestershire 41 27 34 31 30 36 
			 Greater Manchester 15 17 18 19 19 19 
			 Gwent 41 38 39 35 22 18 
			 Hampshire 31 26 33 18 27 28 
			 Hertfordshire 31 34 36 24 25 27 
			 Humberside 14 17 20 18 19 25 
			 Kent 24 23 15 18 18 20 
			 Lancashire 30 32 34 32 39 36 
			 Leicestershire 23 18 18 21 25 25 
			 Lincolnshire 28 23 23 20 26 21 
			 London, City of 24 14 29 23 20 20 
			 Merseyside 23 26 27 15 20 24 
			 Metropolitan Police 13 12 15 14 14 16 
			 Norfolk 23 23 16 26 16 20 
			 Northamptonshire 24 19 22 20 19 26 
			 Northumbria 28 26 22 25 31 31 
			 North Wales 25 36 40 36 34 38 
			 North Yorkshire 21 32 31 31 26 29 
			 Nottinghamshire 19 18 21 18 14 18 
			 South Wales 31 36 43 29 27 33 
			 South Yorkshire 23 31 32 33 30 36 
			 Staffordshire 24 23 27 28 25 18 
			 Suffolk 34 31 29 25 27 27 
			 Surrey 26 28 31 34 32 26 
			 Sussex 20 21 23 20 21 22 
			 Thames Valley 29 25 24 23 20 19 
			 Warwickshire 27 28 24 16 18 24 
			 West Mercia 25 31 40 34 31 22 
			 West Midlands 23 23 21 20 20 21 
			 West Yorkshire 26 28 32 28 28 27 
			 Wiltshire 25 28 31 27 16 34 
			 (1) The National Crime Recording Standard was introduced in April 2002. Figures before and after that date are not directly comparable. (2) It should be noted that non-sanction detections that contribute to the overall detection rate have fallen in recent years reflecting a significant shift by many police forces away from recording detections of crime where no further action is taken. For this reason overall detection rates over time are not fully comparable. From 1 April 2007 the rules governing recording of non-sanction detections were revised to reduce the scope within which they can be claimed to a very limited set of circumstances.

Serious and Organised Crime Agency: Resignations

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people who transferred to the Serious and Organised Crime Agency as sworn constables have since left the agency in each month since its inception; and what proportion of  (a) sworn constables and  (b) all staff this represents.

Jacqui Smith: Since 1 April 2006, 231 sworn constables have left SOCA. This number includes 58 retirements and 35 who remained as secondees on transfer to SOCA and who have since returned to their home force on conclusion of their secondment. In addition, some former police officers who resigned from SOCA at the end of their 30 years' service have rejoined the organisation, including in the most recent recruitment process.
	The following tables detail these data on a monthly basis against  (a) those holding powers of a constable, and  (b) all staff in SOCA.
	
		
			  Excluding seconded police officers returning to force 
			  Month left  Numbers of former police officers directly employed at 1 April 20 06 leaving each month (including  retirements)  Number leaving as a percentage of former police officers directly employed at start  Number leaving as a percentage of total direct employees at start 
			  2006
			 August 2 0.18 0.05 
			 September 4 0.36 0.10 
			 October 3 0.27 0.07 
			 November 4 0.36 0.10 
			 December 4 0.36 0.10 
			 
			  2007
			 January 7 0.63 0.17 
			 February 4 0.36 0.10 
			 March 9 0.82 0.22 
			 April 7 0.63 0.17 
			 May 8 0.72 0.20 
			 June 7 0.63 0.17 
			 July 6 0.54 0.15 
			 August 10 0.91 0.24 
			 September 17 1.54 0.42 
			 October 4 0.36 0.10 
			 November 7 0.63 0.17 
			 December 12 1.09 0.29 
			 
			  2008
			 January 12 1.09 0.29 
			 February 13 1.18 0.32 
			 March 10 0.91 0.24 
			 April 27 2.45 0.66 
			 May 11 1.00 0.27 
			 June 8 0.72 0.20 
			 
			 Total who left 196 17.75 4.80 
		
	
	
		
			  Including seconded police officers returned to force 
			   Numbers of former police officers directly employed or transferred on secondment at 1 April 2006, leaving each month  Number leaving as a percentage of former police officers at start  Number leaving as a percentage of total direct employees at start 
			  2006
			 July 2 0.18 0.05 
			 August 2 0.18 0.05 
			 September 5 0.44 0.12 
			 October 3 0.26 0.07 
			 November 4 0.35 0.10 
			 December 4 0.35 0.10 
			 
			  2007
			 January 9 0.79 0.22 
			 February 6 0.53 0.15 
			 March 9 0.79 0.22 
			 April 9 0.79 0.22 
			 May 10 0.88 0.25 
			 June 8 0.70 0.20 
			 July 6 0.53 0.15 
			 August 17 1.54 0.42 
			 September 23 2.08 0.57 
			 October 4 0.36 0.10 
			 November 9 0.82 0.22 
			 December 13 1.18 0.32 
			 
			  2008
			 January 13 1.18 0.32 
			 February 14 1.27 0.34 
			 March 11 1.00 0.27 
			 April 29 2.63 0.71 
			 May 12 1.07 0.29 
			 June 9 0.80 0.22 
			 
			 Total who left 231 20.66 5.68 
		
	
	
		
			  Analysis of ex police officer leaving reasons 
			  Reason  Number 
			 Medically retired 2 
			 Normal retirement 56 
			 Resignation 138 
			   
			 Total 196

Surveillance

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases involving alleged abuse of intrusive surveillance powers by  (a) local councils and  (b) central Government-controlled bodies were investigated by the Investigatory Powers Tribunal in each year since it was established; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given by the then Minister of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Harrow, East (Mr. McNulty), to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 22 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1374W. It is not the Investigatory Powers Tribunal's practice to publish detailed breakdowns by type or body of complaint, in order to preserve the confidence of people using it that their complaint will be handled confidentially. The Investigatory Powers Tribunal is independent of Government and subject to statutory rules which prevent it from disclosing information to an extent, or in a manner, that is contrary to the public interest. Only law enforcement and intelligences agencies and certain detention authorities can conduct intrusive surveillance under the Regulation of Investigatory Act 2000, but any valid complaint would be investigated by the Investigatory Powers Tribunal.

Surveillance

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps for redress are available to people who believe they have suffered from an abuse of intrusive surveillance powers by  (a) local authorities and  (b) central Government-controlled bodies; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 13 October 2008
	 Under section 65 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, the Investigatory Powers Tribunal is the responsible body for any complaint about public authority conduct under the Act. If it determines that there has been a contravention of the Act, it is required to notify the complainant and in certain circumstances make a report to my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister. It may, if appropriate, quash any warrant or authorisation, order the destruction of relevant material and award compensation or make any other order as they think fit.

Surveillance: Local Authorities

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on whether local authorities should use directed surveillance powers to monitor dog fouling; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 ('RIPA') requires that the use of any covert investigatory techniques must be necessary and proportionate to what the relevant public authority seeks to achieve. It is a matter for each authority to determine what is proportionate in the circumstances. All authorisations must on request be made available for scrutiny to the independent Commissioners established under RIPA. In the case of local authorities' use of directed surveillance, oversight is undertaken by the Office of Surveillance Commissioners.

Surveillance: Local Authorities

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will instruct the Office of Surveillance Commissioners to assess whether surveillance powers have been used by local authorities to generate income from fines.

Vernon Coaker: The Office of Surveillance Commissioners was established by statute to provide independent oversight of public authorities using covert investigatory powers. It is not appropriate for Ministers to issue instructions to the Office of Surveillance Commissioners. Under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 local authorities may use directed surveillance for the purpose of preventing or detecting crime or disorder providing it is necessary and proportionate for them to do so.

Surveillance: Telecommunications

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many requests by law enforcement agencies were made to telephone and internet companies for details of calls or internet use in each year since 2001.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 13 October 2008
	The information is not held centrally.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Child Minding

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2008,  Official Report, column 949W, on children: day care, 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of daycare settings in the  (a) 10 per cent. most deprived,  (b) 10 per cent. least deprived,  (c) five per cent. most deprived and  (d) five per cent. least deprived local authority area were awarded ratings of inadequate following an Ofsted inspection in (i) 2005-06, (ii) 2006-07 and (iii) 2007-08;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of childminders were deemed inadequate by Ofsted in the  (a) 10 per cent. most deprived and  (b) 10 per cent. least deprived local authority areas in each year since such inspections began;
	(3)  how many and what proportion of childminders were deemed inadequate by Ofsted in each region in each year since such inspections began;
	(4)  how many registered childminders there were in the  (a) 10 per cent. most deprived and  (b) 10 per cent. least deprived local authority areas in each quarter of the last three years.

Beverley Hughes: These are matters for Ofsted. The Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, will write to the hon. Member and copies of her replies will be placed in the Library.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 23 September 2008:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for a response.
	Our source for identifying the 5% and 10% most and least deprived local authorities is the Government's "Indices of Deprivation 2007" (an index published once every three years), as taken from the website of the Department for Communities and Local Government (www.communities.gov.uk)
	I should alert you to some potential confusion with the figures. In order to capture all inadequate ratings following an Ofsted inspection, the data provided give the number and proportion of providers that were inadequate at any time during that period. Since a provider may receive a re-inspection and no longer be inadequate by the end of the year, these figures do not reflect our other publications which only capture the most recent inspection of a provider. This information is presented in Table A.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Rt Hon Beverley Hughes MP, Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.
	
		
			  Table A: Inspection data for day care providers between 1 April 2005 and 31 March 2008 
			Inspections between 1 April 2005 and 31 March 2006 
			  LA deprivation level  Total day care at 1 April 2006  Total inspected 2005/06  Total inspected 2005/06 inadequate  Proportion inadequate 2005/06 (%) 
			 10 per cent. least deprived 4,740 1,109 86 7.8 
			 10 per cent. most deprived 2,522 611 60 9.8 
		
	
	
		
			Inspections between 1 April 2006 and 31 March 2007 
			  LA deprivation level  Total day care at 1 April 2007  Total inspected 2006/07  Total inspected 2006/07 inadequate  Proportion inadequate 2006/07 (%) 
			 10 per cent. least deprived 4,682 1,679 101 6.0 
			 10 per cent. most deprived 2,552 803 65 8.1 
		
	
	
		
			Inspections between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2008 
			  LA deprivation level  Total day care at 1 April 2008  Total inspected 2007/08  Total inspected 2007/08 inadequate  Proportion inadequate 2007/08 (%) 
			 10 per cent. least deprived 4,712 1,786 109 6.1 
			 10 per cent. most deprived 2,547 908 77 8.5 
		
	
	
		
			Inspections between 1 April 2005 and 31 March 2006 
			  LA deprivation level  Total day care at 1 April 2004/06  Total inspected 2005/06  Total inspected 2005/06 inadequate  Proportion inadequate 2005/06 (%) 
			 5 per cent. least deprived 1,636 380 25 6.6 
			 5 per cent. most deprived 1,078 242 22 9.1 
		
	
	
		
			Inspections between 1 April 2006 and 31 March 2007 
			  LA deprivation level  Total day care at 1 April 2007  Total inspected 2006/07  Total inspected 2006/07 inadequate  Proportion inadequate 2006/07 (%) 
			 5 per cent. least deprived 1,593 593 35 5.9 
			 5 per cent. most deprived 1,096 318 21 6.6 
		
	
	
		
			Inspections between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2008. 
			  LA deprivation level  Total day care at 1 April 2008  Total inspected 2007/08  Total inspected 2007/08 inadequate  Proportion inadequate 2007/08 (%) 
			 5 per cent. least deprived 1,608 570 27 4.7 
			 5 per cent. most deprived 1,109 381 38 10.0 
			  Notes: 1. All inspection data taken from the Regulatory Support Application (RSA) database as it was at 1 April 2008. Active provider data taken from the RSA database as it was at 6 April 2006, 30 March 2007 and 1 April 2008 respectively. LA deprivation level based on Indices of Deprivation 2007 on the government communities website (www.communities.gov.uk).The majority of the data underpinning the Indices of Deprivation 2007 represents 2005 although some data covers a number of years, for example an average of 2003-05.  2. In order to capture all inadequate ratings following an Ofsted inspection, the data provided give the number and proportion of providers that were inadequate at any time during the time period. Since a provider may receive a re-inspection and no longer be inadequate by the end of the year, these figures do not reflect our other publications which only capture the most recent inspection of a provider. 
		
	
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 23 September 2008:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for a response.
	Our source for identifying both the 10% most and least deprived local authorities is the Government's "Indices of Deprivation 2007" (an index published once every three years), as taken from the website of the Department for Communities and Local Government (www.communities.gov.uk).
	Ofsted has been responsible for the inspection of childminders since September 2001. However during the first 18 months we carried out transition inspections where we made an assessment of whether registration should continue and did not give quality grades. We started to judge quality and grade this from April 2003. There are, however, issues relating to the structure of the database used to store inspection outcomes during the period 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2005. These issues make it difficult to present accurate and comprehensive data relating to this period. Furthermore, the inspection framework changed in April 2005 with the result that it is difficult to make meaningful comparisons with the period 2003-05. The inspection data in this response, therefore, relate to the current inspection framework and covers the period 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2008.
	I should alert you to some potential confusion with the figures. In order to capture all inadequate ratings following an Ofsted inspection, the data provided give the number and proportion of providers that were inadequate at any time during that period. Since a provider may receive a re-inspection and no longer be inadequate by the end of the year, these figures do not reflect our other publications which only capture the most recent inspection of a provider. This information is presented in Table A.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Rt Hon Beverley Hughes MP, Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.
	
		
			  Table A: Inspection data for  c hildminders between 1 April 2005 and 31 March 2008 
			Inspections between 1 April 2005 and 31 March 2006 
			  LA deprivation level  Total childminders at 1 April 2004/06  Total inspected 2005/06  Total inspected 2005/06 inadequate  Proportion inadequate 2005/06 (%) 
			 10 per cent. least deprived 11,550 2,880 74 2.6 
			 10 per cent. most deprived 4,363 1,209 31 2.6 
		
	
	
		
			Inspections between 1 April 2006 and 31 March 2007 
			  LA deprivation level  Total childminders at 1 April 07  Total inspected 2006/07  Total inspected 2006/07 inadequate  Proportion inadequate 2006/07 (%) 
			 10 per cent. least deprived 11,215 2,844 91 3.2 
			 10 per cent. most deprived 4,464 819 46 5.6 
		
	
	
		
			Inspections between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2008 
			  LA deprivation level  Total childminders at 1 April 2008  Total inspected 2007/08  Total inspected 2007/08 inadequate  Proportion inadequate 07/08 (%) 
			 10 per cent. least deprived 10,418 3,330 217 6.5 
			 10 per cent. most deprived 4,114 1,216 123 10.1 
			  Notes: 1. All inspection data taken from the Regulatory Support Application (RSA) database as it was at 1 April 2008. Active provider data taken from the RSA database as it was at 6 April 2006, 30 March 2007 and 1 April 2008 respectively. LA deprivation level based on Indices of Deprivation 2007 on the government communities website (www.communities.gov.uk).The majority of the data underpinning the Indices of Deprivation 2007 represents 2005 although some data covers a number of years, for example an average of 2003-05.  2. In order to capture all inadequate ratings following an Ofsted inspection, the data provided give the number and proportion of providers that were inadequate at any time during the time period. Since a provider may receive a re-inspection and no longer be inadequate by the end of the year, these figures do not reflect our other publications which only capture the most recent inspection of a provider. 
		
	
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 23 September 2008:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for a response.
	Ofsted has been responsible for the inspection of childminders since September 2001. However, during the first 18 months we carried out transition inspections where we made an assessment of whether registration should continue and did not give quality grades. We started to judge quality and grade this from April 2003. There are, however, issues relating to the structure of the database used to store inspection outcomes during the period 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2005. These issues make it difficult to present accurate and comprehensive data relating to this period. Furthermore, the inspection framework changed in April 2005 with the result that it is difficult to make meaningful comparisons with the period 2003-05. The inspection data in this response, therefore, relate to the current inspection framework and covers the period 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2008.
	I should alert you to some potential confusion with the figures. In order to capture all inadequate ratings following an Ofsted inspection, the data provided give the number and proportion of providers that were inadequate at any time during that period. Since a provider may receive a re-inspection and no longer be inadequate by the end of the year, these figures do not reflect our other publications which only capture the most recent inspection of a provider. This information is presented in Table A.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Rt Hon Beverley Hughes MP, Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.
	
		
			  Table A: Inspection data for  c hildminders between 1 April 2005 and 31 March 2008, by Government Office region (GOR) 
			Inspections between 1 April 2005 and 31 March 2006 
			  Government office region  Total childminders at 1 April 2006  Total inspected 2005/06  Total inspected 2005/06 inadequate  Proportion inadequate 2005/06 
			 North East 3,565 772 42 5.4 
			 South West England 6,673 1,852 52 2.8 
			 West Midlands 6,222 2,090 55 2.6 
			 Outer London 8,179 1,855 80 4.3 
			 East of England 8,543 2,435 77 3.2 
			 East Midlands 5,901 1,538 53 3.4 
			 North West England 8,320 2,103 76 3.6 
			 South East England 13,758 3,448 74 2.1 
			 Inner London 3,648 687 43 6.3 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 6,813 1,752 55 3.1 
		
	
	
		
			Inspections between 1 April 2006 and 31 March 2007 
			  Government office region  Total childminders at 1 April 2007  Total inspected 2006/07  Total inspected 2006/07 inadequate  Proportion inadequate 2006/07 
			 North East 3,474 755 48 6.4 
			 South West England 6,387 1,786 59 3.3 
			 West Midlands 6,154 1,698 75 4.4 
			 Outer London 8,008 1,268 72 5.7 
			 East of England 8,522 2,652 95 3.6 
			 East Midlands 5,863 1,608 72 4.5 
			 North West England 8,072 1,894 91 4.8 
			 South East England 13,218 3,265 91 2.8 
			 Inner London 3,693 518 41 7.9 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 6,534 1,599 93 5.8 
		
	
	
		
			Inspections between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2008 
			  Government office region  Total childminders at 1 April 2008  Total inspected 2007/08  Total inspected 2007/08 inadequate  Proportion inadequate 2007/08 
			 North East 3,128 1,211 97 8.0 
			 South West England 6,021 1,799 99 5.5 
			 West Midlands 5,574 1,394 109 7.8 
			 Outer London 7,440 2,562 219 8.5 
			 East of England 7,728 2,101 167 7.9 
			 East Midlands 5,449 1,693 150 8.9 
			 North West England 7,350 2,624 203 7.7 
			 South East England 12,452 3,780 183 4.8 
			 Inner London 3,536 1,153 109 9.5 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 5,970 2,142 189 8.8 
			  Notes: 1. All inspection data taken from the Regulatory Support Application (RSA) database as it was at 1 April 2008. Active provider data taken from the RSA database as it was at 6 April 2006, 30 March 2007 and 1 April 2008 respectively.  2. In order to capture all inadequate ratings following an Ofsted inspection, the data provided give the number and proportion of providers that were inadequate at any time during the time period. Since a provider may receive a re-inspection and no longer be inadequate by the end of the year, these figures do not reflect our other publications which only capture the most recent inspection of a provider. 
		
	
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 23 September 2008:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for a response.
	The information you require is presented in Tables A and B attached.
	Our source for identifying the 10% most and least deprived local authorities is the Government's "Indices of Deprivation 2007" (an index published once every three years), as taken from the website of the Department for Communities and Local Government (www.communities.oov.uk).
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Rt Hon Beverley Hughes MP, Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.
	
		
			  Table A: Number of registered childminders in the 10 per cent .  most deprived local authorities 
			2005  2006  2007  2008 
			  LA code  LA name  Mar  Jun  Sep  Dec  Mar  Jun  Sep  Dec  Mar  Jun  Sep  Dec  Mar 
			 330 Birmingham 983 996 1004 999 1000 1033 1074 1073 1049 1024 1006 942 918 
			 890 Blackpool 154 162 162 164 165 161 153 152 147 133 124 126 118 
			 204 Hackney 224 227 232 240 249 247 252 264 270 265 271 273 268 
			 206 Islington 254 251 250 257 265 269 279 284 280 273 270 269 262 
			 810 Kingston upon Hull 208 226 234 236 242 246 249 243 235 231 211 202 191 
			 340 Knowsley 113 125 129 128 127 130 135 134 129 126 134 129 126 
			 341 Liverpool 232 237 237 237 234 234 228 230 236 237 232 228 230 
			 352 Manchester 400 405 409 418 429 426 429 442 438 424 412 415 424 
			 806 Middlesbrough 154 154 157 163 160 155 151 152 154 153 148 140 138 
			 316 Newham 351 361 363 368 378 377 382 391 380 372 374 365 363 
			 892 Nottingham City 272 281 281 286 283 281 293 298 292 294 301 300 286 
			 355 Salford 253 266 267 275 272 280 284 295 296 292 299 304 297 
			 333 Sandwell 205 206 208 209 210 216 217 221 218 211 205 197 186 
			 861 Stoke on Trent 249 244 240 239 232 230 228 230 224 215 213 208 197 
			 211 Tower Hamlets 119 118 121 121 117 119 124 121 116 117 119 115 110 
			  Total 4171 4259 4294 4340 4363 4404 4478 4530 4464 4367 4319 4213 4114 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B: Number of registered  childminders in the 10 per cent.  least deprived local authorities 
			2005  2006  2007  2008 
			  LA code  LA name  Mar  Jun  Sep  Dec  Mar  Jun  Sep  Dec  Mar  Jun  Sep  Dec  Mar 
			 800 Bath & NE Somerset 259 260 261 262 262 257 243 240 220 210 201 199 195 
			 867 Bracknell Forest 272 271 272 276 284 290 292 301 299 307 302 296 292 
			 825 Buckinghamshire 969 972 981 991 987 970 957 985 951 914 929 887 865 
			 873 Cambridgeshire 930 947 967 962 952 967 957 960 954 938 893 864 836 
			 850 Hampshire 2517 2558 2549 2559 2569 2595 2553 2575 2519 2448 2418 2360 2337 
			 855 Leicestershire 1013 1006 1011 1004 993 988 982 999 991 973 980 958 938 
			 931 Oxfordshire 991 1004 999 996 991 982 966 1000 965 948 952 935 899 
			 318 Richmond upon Thames 353 346 351 355 348 354 352 344 324 320 322 307 294 
			 857 Rutland 62 62 60 64 60 52 50 52 57 55 56 52 53 
			 803 South Gloucestershire 390 398 390 380 372 370 363 363 343 337 328 321 311 
			 936 Surrey 1855 1897 1883 1918 1950 1959 1935 1940 1866 1840 1854 1833 1785 
			 869 West Berkshire (Newbury) 302 305 298 296 303 290 283 282 269 270 270 273 271 
			 865 Wiltshire 805 811 810 808 803 802 826 844 819 786 790 778 759 
			 868 Windsor & Maidenhead 302 303 307 306 299 290 283 286 259 252 242 237 226 
			 872 Wokingham 353 367 375 380 377 376 378 378 379 377 379 371 357 
			  Total 11373 11507 11514 11557 11550 11542 11420 11549 11215 10975 10916 10671 10418

Children

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will make it his policy that whenever his Department publishes  (a) regulations and  (b) guidance relating to children and young persons he will also publish a young persons' version.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: It is our current policy to consider the needs of our audience for each communication, including with children and young people, and look for the most effective, best value way to reach them on each occasion.

Children: Research

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he is taking to improve research standards in trials which involve schoolchildren.

Beverley Hughes: The Department ensures that all the research it funds goes through an appropriate process of methodological and ethical scrutiny to ensure that children's safety and well-being are protected and that the research results are robust. In addition, the Association of Directors of Children's Services (ADCS) vets all applications made by academics and others to conduct research involving local authority children's services departments, whether funded by the Department or not.

Culture: Curriculum

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what subject matter he expects to be covered in cultural studies under the citizenship curriculum in schools; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The citizenship curriculum does not prescribe the detailed content of what should be taught, but does encourage young people to explore cultural issues, identity, diversity and values in relation to their own lives alongside important concepts like democracy, justice, right and responsibility. It also encourages students to understand and learn about connections between the diverse cultures and communities in the UK and the wider world. The curriculum encourages a flexible approach to allow teachers to plan lessons which reflect their local context and meet their learners' needs, capabilities and aspirations.

Departmental Marketing

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the cost-effectiveness of Government-commissioned advertising in the last 12 months relating to matters falling within the remit of his Department.

Edward Balls: All campaigns have an evaluation mechanism such as response targets (calls to a campaign telephone number or hits on a website). In addition, where the advertising spend is more substantial, campaigns are additionally evaluated through independent customer research which tracks the campaign impact against its objectives, measuring levels of customer awareness and exploring shifts in attitude and behaviour among the target audience.
	All departmental advertising is bought on our behalf by the Central Office of Information (COI), which is able to use its purchasing power to negotiate significant discounts, ensuring that our advertising budgets are cost effective in the amount of media they purchase.

Departmental Pay

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many non-pensionable bonuses were awarded to members of staff in his Department in the last 12 months; and at what total cost.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: In the Department annual non-pensionable bonuses were awarded on 1 April 2008 for the 12 month performance reporting period ending on 31 March 2008. The number of bonuses paid was 1,403 and the amount was £1.9 million.

Departmental Recruitment

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its executive agencies spent on (i) recruitment consultants and (ii) external recruitment advertising to recruit staff in each of the last five financial years; which recruitment consultants were employed for those purposes in each of those years; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: My Department was established on 28 June 2007. The costs paid to recruitment consultants and for external recruitment advertising for senior civil service (SCS) recruitment from 28 June 2007 to the end of the financial year was £213,343. The recruitment consultants employed for these purposes were all drawn from the Cabinet Office Framework agreement.
	The costs for vacancies below SCS level are not recorded in the form requested and figures could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department has no agencies.

Departmental Written Questions

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of written questions for answer on a named day his Department has answered on the due date in the current session of Parliament to date.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department has received 773 named day questions so far this session. 396 (50 per cent.) questions have been answered on time.

Food Technology

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what plans he has to encourage schools to enhance the skills of pupils to prepare and cook meals.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The new secondary curriculum introduced in September 2008 focuses food technology on practical cooking skills and knowledge. In January 2008, the Government announced that as part of their obesity strategy, food technology will be compulsory for 11 to 14-year-olds from September 2011. Cooking is already compulsory in primary schools.
	The Licence to Cook programme delivers a training programme for teachers and supports collaboration between schools that offer food technology and those that currently do not so that more 11 to 16-year-olds have the opportunity to learn how to cook. We have also announced £150,000,000 ring fenced capital investment to build food technology teaching areas in secondary schools currently without facilities and £750,000 for new facilities fro teacher training providers to enable us to reach our target of providing around 800 training places for food technology teachers in the next three years.

Higher Education: Admissions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils participated in an Aimhigher programme in each year since 2005, broken down by local authority; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
	Information is not currently available as requested on the number of pupils participating in Aimhigher activities. Information is gathered from Aimhigher partnerships via annual monitoring reports. Due to the diversity of activities delivered by partnerships and differences in recording those activities it has not been possible to collate these in a coherent and reliable format. We are currently working with the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) on the design of a new monitoring report which will enable us to gather data in a more consistent way.
	Aimhigher is an important part of the Government's policies to widen participation in higher education amongst people from under-represented groups. Evidence from predecessor programmes shows that the type of activities supported by Aimhigher are successful in raising the aspirations of young people towards higher education, and their attainment whilst at school or college.
	The Department, together with HEFCE, is working hard to improve the impact of Aimhigher further. Last year, HEFCE published guidance to help aimhigher partnerships target their interventions more effectively on young people from lower socio-economic groups and other priority target groups. More recently, guidance was published on how to develop programmes of interventions to build up commitment, rather than delivering one-off interventions.

Higher Education: Disadvantaged

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of 18 year olds from households with annual incomes  (a) up to £20,817,  (b) between £20,818 and £25,521,  (c) between £25,522 and £30,810 and (iv) over £30,810 enrolled at (i) university, (ii) a Russell Group university and (iii) Oxford or Cambridge university in each of the last five years.

David Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
	The annual income bands referred to in the question relate to the 2007/08 thresholds for education maintenance allowance (EMA) entitlement of £30 per week, £20 per week, £10 per week and no entitlement to EMA respectively. Neither the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills nor the Department for Children, Schools and Families holds information on the destinations of young people after they have been in receipt of an education maintenance allowance. The Learning and Skills Council are planning a future piece of work to analyse UCAS data on young people progressing into higher education, and to match that with those who have previously been in receipt of an EMA. A copy of that study, when available, will be placed in the House Library.

Learning Disability

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what provision is available outside normal school hours to assist children with learning difficulties with their studies.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: There are currently over 14,200 schools providing access to the core offer of extended services which includes opportunities to participate in study support activities as part of a varied menu activities from 8 am to 6 pm. By 2010 all schools will be extended schools.
	£265.5 million in additional funding over the next couple of years will help ensure that extended schools activities are accessible to all children, including those with special educational needs. A pathfinder is under way, involving schools in 18 local authorities, with the aim of developing best practice and case studies for the full roll-out in 2010.
	In addition, the Council for Disabled Children (CDC) has recently produced guidance on access to extended schools and children's centres for disabled children. It identifies practice that promotes access to, and participation in, extended services by disabled children so that they can enjoy the same opportunities as others.

Schools: Admissions

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what guidance his Department has issued on the number of feeder schools which may be named as part of a maintained school's admission criteria;
	(2)  what representations he has received from independent schools linked to maintained secondary schools on the question of remaining as named feeder schools;
	(3)  whether, under his proposed revised admissions guidance in circumstances where an independent Catholic school is one of 19 named Catholic feeder schools for admission to a Catholic maintained school, such an arrangement would be deemed to unfairly disadvantage children from deprived areas.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Guidance on school admissions is provided in the School Admissions Code. The code does not limit the number of feeder primary schools which maintained secondary schools can include in their admission arrangements. However, giving priority to children attending an independent school, whether faith-based or not, gives those children an unfair advantage over children living nearer the school and attending maintained schools.
	In the recent consultation that ended on 2 October there were four representations from individual independent schools or their representative bodies relating directly to the feeder school proposal.

Schools: Catering

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) secondary and  (b) primary schools do not have a kitchen, broken down by local authority area.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department for Children, Schools and Families does not collect this information. However, the School Food Trust's annual survey which can be found at
	www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/documents/annualsurvey3
	includes information on catering facilities at national and regional but not local authority level. In response to the trust's latest survey LAs reported that, across England, 20 per cent. of primary and special schools had no kitchen facilities (data from 107 LAs). Virtually all secondary schools have kitchens (data from 100 LAs).

Schools: Health

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on health visitors; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families has regular meetings and discussions with ministerial colleagues on issues of mutual interest.

Special Educational Needs

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many communication support workers working with deaf children there are; and how many of these have a qualification in sign language equivalent to a Council for Advancement of Communication with Deaf People Level 3 qualification.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The information requested is not collected centrally.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Advertising Standards Agency: Public Appointments

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport who appoints those sitting on the Advertising Standards Agency; and for how long they are appointed.

Andy Burnham: The Chair of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is appointed by the Advertising Standards Board of Finance and the Broadcast Advertising Standards Board of Finance. Members of the ASA Council are appointed by the Chair and serve a three year term.

Advertising Standards Agency: Public Appointments

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what criteria are used to appoint those holding a position on the Advertising Standards Authority.

Andy Burnham: The ASA Council operates independently of the Government and the advertising industry, it consists of 15 members appointed by an independent Chairman, currently the right hon. Lord Smith of Finsbury, and criteria for appointment are therefore primarily a matter for the ASA. Council members are chosen for their breadth of experience and do not represent any sector or business. The membership covers both the non-broadcast and the broadcast remit.

Archery: Finance

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which competitive archery centres received funding originating from his Department in 2008.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Sport England and UK Sport have advised that no awards from lottery or Exchequer funds have been made to competitive archery centres in 2008.

Art Works: Exports

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 21-23W, on art works: exports, which objects  (a) were purchased before the expiration of the bar and  (b) were sold to overseas buyers in each year since 2002-03.

Barbara Follett: holding answer 13 October 2008
	I refer the hon. Member to the published annual reports of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest, copies of which are available from the House Library. The information for  (a) can be found in part I under 'items acquired'. The information for  (b) is not available as it is neither the Committee's—nor DCMS's—responsibility to record an object's movements in the event of an export licence being granted.

Big Lottery Fund: Recruitment

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent by the Big Lottery Fund on advertising for recruitment in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Big Lottery Fund has provided the following information about their advertising costs for recruitment in each of the last five years. These figures include all executive posts, but not public appointments.
	
		
			  Staff 
			  Financial year  Description  £ 
			 2004-05 — 178,272.57 
			 2005-06 Includes jobs relocated from London to Newcastle as part of restructuring 352,515.92 
			 2006-07 Includes jobs relocated from London to Birmingham, as part of restructuring. 450,198.62 
			 2007-08 Includes chief executive recruitment as well as final phase of large recruitment campaign in Birmingham. 510,889.76 
		
	
	
		
			  Committee Members 
			  Financial Year  Description  £ 
			 2004-05 — 2,958.87 
			 2005-06 New committee recruitment for initial merger of Community Fund and New Opportunities Fund 48,617.22 
			 2006-07 — 2,617.14 
			 2007-08 New committee recruitment following legal merger, including country committees. 43,367.52

British Grand Prix

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 34W, on the British Grand Prix, what subjects were discussed at the meeting with Bernie Ecclestone on 18 March.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 13 October 2008
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 34W.

Cycling: Facilities

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which indoor BMX tracks are available for public use.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Sport England has advised that as far as they are aware, there are no permanent indoor BMX tracks of the type suitable for competition racing available for public use in the UK.

Departmental Conferences

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on what date his Department's All Staff Conference took place; how many staff attended; how many Ministers attended; and what the total cost of the event was.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport held its 2008 staff conference on 5 February. The total cost of the event was £21,345 (excluding VAT), two Ministers attended the conference and 437 staff booked a place at the event.

Departmental Equality

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he has taken to improve his Department's workforce equality monitoring as set out in his Department's corporate plan.

Gerry Sutcliffe: In May 2008 Human and Business Resources did a monitoring exercise on behalf of the Department to encourage staff to declare across all the equality strands. This was supported by the departmental diversity champion in a message that went out to all staff. In addition all new staff coming into the Department must complete an equal opportunities monitoring form.

Departmental Land

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much the land to the north of the British Library was sold for; and how much was retained by his Department.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The asset known as "the Land to the North of the British Library" was sold for £85.018 million. The department will retain £39.8 million with the balance being surrendered to the Treasury.

Departmental NDPBs

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department received from its non-departmental public bodies in rental income in each of the last 10 years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: In each of the last 10 years my Department has received the following rental income from its NDPBs.
	
		
			   Retained by DCMS  Surrendered to the Consolidated Fund 
			   £  £ 
			 1998-99  — British Museum 1,625,000 
			   — English Heritage 863,000 
			   — British Library 590,000 
			 1999-2000  — British Museum 375,000 
			   — English Heritage 863,000 
			   — British Library 645,000 
			 2000-01  — British Museum 176,000 
			   — English Heritage 863,000 
			   — British Library 42,000 
			 2001-02  — English Heritage 863,000 
			 2002-03  — English Heritage 863,000 
			 2003-04  — English Heritage 863,000 
			 2004-05  — English Heritage 863,000 
			 2005-06  — English Heritage 872,000 
			 2006-070 
			 2007-08 UK Film Council 174,213  0

Departmental Public Expenditure

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many  (a) new builds and  (b) major refurbishments for a cost in excess of £0.5 million were completed by his Department in (i) 2005-06, (ii) 2006-07 and (iii) 2007-08.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department completed a major refurbishment project in excess of £0.5 million in 2006-07.

Departmental Recruitment

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much  (a) the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council and  (b) Visit Britain spent on advertising appointments in each of the last five years.

Barbara Follett: The costs incurred on advertising ministerial public appointments to the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council and to VisitBritain were:
	
		
			  £ total (excluding VAT) 
			  (a) Museums, Libraries and Archives Council  
			 2004-05 Nil 
			 2005-06 15,167 
			 2006-07 Nil 
			 2007-08 18,534 
			 2008-09 (to date) Nil 
			   
			  (b) VisitBritain  
			 2004-05 13,970 
			 2005-06 10,019 
			 2006-07 Nil 
			 2007-08 Nil 
			 2008-09 (to date) Nil 
		
	
	These costs were all incurred by the Department and not by the NDPB.

Departmental Rents

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which organisations rent property from his Department.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The following organisations rent property from the Department:
	Hunting Plc
	Avanta London Ltd
	UK Film Council

Departmental Rents

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department received in rental income in each of the last 10 years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department received the following amounts in rental income in each of the last 10 years.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Retained by DCMS  Surrendered to the consolidated fund 
			 1998-99 — 3,078,000 
			 1999-2000 — 1,883,000 
			 2000-01 — 1,081,000 
			 2001-02 — 863,000 
			 2002-03 — 863,000 
			 2003-04 1,917,334 863,000 
			 2004-05 1,906,930 863,000 
			 2005-06 1,771,132 872,000 
			 2006-07 602,000 0 
			 2007-08 656,213 0

Departmental Security

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department has spent on security in each year since 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The amount spent on security since December 2005 is detailed as follows. Information prior to December 2005 is not available.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Security guarding  Equipment, hardware and maintenance 
			 December 2005 to March 2006 197,880 4,609 
			 April 2006 to March 2007 642,945 31,427 
			 April 2007 to March 2008 528,170 109,887 
		
	
	In 2007-08 the Department upgraded its CCTV and security systems.

Departmental Surveys

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on what date his Department conducted its annual staff survey for 2008; which organisation conducted the survey; and what estimate he has made of the cost of the survey.

Gerry Sutcliffe: DCMS staff opinion surveys take place biennially and the last one was in 2007. ORC did the survey on behalf of the Department and the cost of the survey was £21,540.

Departmental Telephone Services

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which agencies or units for which his Department is responsible require the public to make telephone calls to them on numbers which charge more than the national call rate; and how much income each such agency derived from such charges in each of the last three years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Neither the Department nor its Agency (The Royal Parks) have telephone numbers that charge more than the national call rate.

English Heritage

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many events were staged at English Heritage properties in each of the last five years; and what the total attendance at these events was.

Barbara Follett: The information requested, as provided by English Heritage, is set out in the table.
	
		
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			   Events  Visitor Nos.  Events  Visitor Nos.  Events  Visitor Nos.  Events  Nos.  Events  Visitor Nos.  Events  Visitor Nos. to date  Visitor Nos. expected in  20 08 
			 London 91 9,039 163 15,003 63 20,356 86 24,636 39 18,832 58 17,759 19,100 
			 East Midlands 85 35,573 76 24,150 43 29,176 28 29,137 22 29,934 18 23,480 24,358 
			 East of England 44 79,485 78 82,038 36 21,220 43 36,500 36 62,287 32 55,865 77,290 
			 South East 94 57,182 180 65,267 51 73,096 62 160,134 55 91,425 47 105,676 134,311 
			 South West 96 44,524 172 52,883 56 62,710 72 105,943 55 61,298 51 59,681 68,949 
			 West Midlands 49 41,693 90 33,186 52 51,067 55 52,493 58 47,730 48 35,561 51,150 
			 Yorkshire 85 30,439 152 65,875 36 85,134 66 80,468 80 110,686 87 84,872 101,090 
			 North West 18 10,931 54 9,531 30 19,487 25 16,044 16 21,278 18 14,165 19,450 
			 North East 138 75,888 109 29,783 49 53,729 42 42,426 39 46,656 49 48,980 49,450 
			 Festival of History 1 7,864 1 14,100 1 17,000 1 17,156 1 17,500 1 17,784 17,784 
			 Total 701 392,618 1,075 391,816 417 432,975 480 564,937 401 507,626 409 463,823 562,932

English Heritage: Finance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much English Heritage received in grant-in-aid in each year since 2000 in 2007-08 prices.

Barbara Follett: English Heritage grant in aid funding.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Grant in Aid funding in 2007-08 prices 
			  Outturn:  
			 2000-01 143.5 
			 2001-02 130.0 
			 2002-03 132.9 
			 2003-04 132.5 
			 2004-05 138.1 
			 2005-06 136.5 
			 2006-07 145.4 
			 2007-08 136.6 
			  Plans:  
			 2008-09 125.1 
		
	
	Outturn figures are sourced from audited departmental resource accounts and converted to 2007-08 prices using HM Treasury deflator tables.

Football Foundation: Grants

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what grants have been given out by the Football Foundation for stadium improvements since its inception.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Football Foundation advise that their non-charitable arm, the Football Stadia Improvement Fund (FSIF), has awarded 1,043 grants worth £95,708,715 since 2000.

Football: Finance

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which professional and semi-professional football clubs have entered administration in the last three years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Football Association has advised that the following professional or semi-professional clubs have entered administration since 1 October 2005.
	Crawley Town Football and Social Club: entered administration 5 June 2006;
	Farnborough Town Football and Social Club Ltd.: entered administration 26 July 2006;
	Halifax Town Association Football Club Ltd.: entered administration 14 March 2008;
	Leeds United Association Football Club Ltd.: entered administration 4 May 2007;
	Luton Town Football Club Ltd.: entered administration 22 November 2007;
	Rotherham United FC Ltd.: entered administration 18 March 2008; and
	Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic Community Football Club Ltd.: entered administration 7 February 2008.

National Lottery

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport at which 100 outlets the most Lottery ticket sales were made in the latest period for which figures are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: We have been informed by the national lottery operator, Camelot, that information regarding retailers' sales is commercially sensitive and cannot be released.

National Lottery

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in which 50 constituencies the most Lottery ticket sales were made in the latest period for which figures are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: We have been informed that the national lottery operator, Camelot does not routinely collect ticket sales information on a constituency or postcode basis.
	However, an analysis of sales data by postcode area is available in the Libraries of both Houses and provides information up to 2004.

National Lottery

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what income his Department received from  (a) the National Lottery Distribution Fund and  (b) the Olympic Lottery Distribution Fund in each year since 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department receives income from the funds to recover grant-in-aid paid to the National Lottery Commission for the regulation of the Lottery and to recover costs incurred by DCMS in managing the funds;
	 (a) Income received by DCMS in each year from the National Lottery Distribution Fund is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  £000 
			   Recovery of National Lottery Commission Grant-in-Aid  Recovery of DCMS costs 
			 1997-98 1,991 203 
			 1998-99 1,815 589 
			 1999-2000 2,740 161 
			 2000-01 4,396 238 
			 2001-02 2,809 228 
			 2002-03 2,342 223 
			 2003-04 3,765 243 
			 2004-05 4,401 236 
			 2005-06 7,921 245 
			 2006-07 8,047 267 
			 2007-08(1) 9,315 215 
			 (1) The final allocation of costs between the NLDF and OLDF for 2007-08 is subject to completion of the audit of the fund accounts, which are expected to be published later in the year. 
		
	
	 (b) Income received by DCMS in each year from the Olympic Lottery Distribution Fund since it came into existence in 2005 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  £000 
			   Recovery of National Lottery Commission Grant-in-Aid  Recovery of DCMS costs 
			 2005-06 — 39 
			 2006-07 700 58 
			 2007-08(1) 1,026 79 
			 (1) The final allocation of costs between the NLDF and OLDF for 2007-08 is subject to completion of the audit of the fund accounts, which are expected to be published later in the year.

National Lottery: Religion

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what guidance he has issued to the National Lottery on the handling of funding bids from faith-based organisations; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I have issued policy directions to all UK and England Lottery distributors, copies of which have been placed in the House Libraries. They direct each distributor on the persons to whom, the purposes for which and the conditions subject to which it distributes any money. They include no specific direction on the handling of funding bids from faith-based organisations.

Olympic Games 2012: Football

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the Government's policy is on the formation of a football team to represent Great Britain at the London 2012 Olympics.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 2008
	Any decision on whether a Great Britain football team participates at the London 2012 Olympic games is a matter for FIFA, the four Home Nations' Football Associations, and the British Olympic Association. Discussions between the various parties continue.
	While we are proud of our individual traditions, the Government believe that a GB Olympic football team at the 2012 London Olympics could be very exciting for football fans and the general public.
	The Government also believe this should not affect the rights of the four Home Nations to compete separately in international football tournaments—an important part of our footballing tradition.

Olympic Games: China

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps the Government has taken to recognise the achievement of the Great Britain team in the 2008 Olympics.

Gerry Sutcliffe: An Olympic reception was hosted by the Prime Minister at Lancaster House on 3 October to recognise the achievements of the Olympic athletes at Beijing 2008 and there is to be a similar reception for Paralympic athletes at the British Museum.

Children's Play: Finance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on children's play in each of the last three years; and how much he expects to spend on it in each of the next three years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: In each of the last three years my Department spent £500,000 on three contracts with national play organisations. These contracts ended in March of this year and following a tendering exercise we have awarded three new contracts relating to children's play, again totalling £500,000 in each of the next three years until March 2011.

Religious Buildings: Finance

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions English Heritage has had with representatives of  (a) the Baptist Church,  (b) the Methodist Church and  (c) the United Reformed Church on making funds available for the repair of listed buildings in their ownership.

Barbara Follett: English Heritage has advised that it holds regular discussions with all faith groups and meets the main denominations, including the Baptist Church, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church, more formally through its Places of Worship Forum which sits four times a year. During the last nine months English Heritage's Head of Places of Worship Policy has had individual meetings with representatives of all three denominations. During these meetings funding was discussed in relation to English Heritage's Inspired! campaign. Denominations were also asked to encourage congregations to apply for Repair Grants for Places of Worship.

Sport England: Boxing

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which boxing clubs received funds through Sport England in 2008.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Sport England have advised that the following boxing clubs have received awards to date in 2008.
	 Lottery Funding:
	The McCrory Foundation (Glenn McCrory International School of Boxing): £59,810.
	 Exchequer Funding (Community Club Development Programme):
	The National Smelting Company Amateur Boxing Club: £68,000.

Sports: Disabled People

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding has been allocated to support  (a) sports for disabled people and  (b) disabled athletes from (i) the National Lottery and (ii) his Department as grant-in-aid in each year since 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Funding in support of sports for disabled people, and for disabled athletes is provided by Sport England and UK Sport. Sport England and UK Sport have advised that detailed breakdowns of funding for individual athletes could be provided only at disproportionate cost, but they have provided figures for overall grants in each year since 1997 as follows:
	 Sport England
	
		
			  National lottery funding for disability sports since 1997 
			  Financial year  Sport  Total (£) 
			 1997-98 Disability sports 2,529,705 
			 1998-99 Disability sports 1,356,236 
			 1999-2000 Disability sports 6,570,802 
			 2000-01 Disability sports 1,821,324 
			 2001-02 Disability sports 7,096,401 
			 2002-03 Disability sports 726,763 
			 2003-04 Disability sports 5,405,069 
			 2004-05 Disability sports 1,735,983 
			 2005-06 Disability sports 343,254 
			 2006-07 Disability sports 70,409 
			 2007-08 Disability sports 636,903 
			 2008-09 Disability sports—Playground to Podium 4,516,781 
			 Grand total  32,809,630 
		
	
	Exchequer funding for disability sports since 1997 is as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  Organisation  Total (£) 
			 1997-98 English Federation of Disability Sport (1)— 
			 1998-99 English Federation of Disability Sport (1)— 
			 1999-2000 English Federation of Disability Sport (1)— 
			 2000-01 English Federation of Disability Sport (1)— 
			 2001-02 English Federation of Disability Sport (1)— 
			 2002-03 English Federation of Disability Sport 1,050,000 
			  Panathlon Foundation 243,000 
			 2003-04 English Federation of Disability Sport 1,050,000 
			  Panathlon Foundation 12,000 
			 2004-05 English Federation of Disability Sport 1,050,000 
			  Panathlon Foundation 10,000 
			  National Council for School Sport 10,000 
			  London Sports Forum for Disabled People 2,000 
			 2005-06 English Federation of Disability Sport 1,010,333 
			 2006-07 English Federation of Disability Sport 951,066 
			  English Federation of Disability Sport 476,033 
			 2007-08 English Federation of Disability Sport 1,100,000 
			 Grand total  6,964,432 
			 (1) No records 
		
	
	 UK Sport
	
		
			  Paralympic funding 
			   Lottery  Exchequer 
			   National governing body  Athletes personal award  National governing body  Total (£) 
			 1997-98 222,000 487,000 0 709,000 
			 1998-99 839,000 1,500,000 0 2,339,000 
			 1999-2000 1,592,000 1,870,000 0 3,462,000 
			 2000-01 1,689,000 1,862,000 0 3,551,000 
			 2001-02 2,094,000 1,532,000 26,000 3,652,000 
			 2002-03 2,182,000 1,566,000 50,000 3,798,000 
			 2003-04 2,278,000 1,562,000 40,000 3,880,000 
			 2004-05 2,356,000 1,681,000 40,000 4,077,000 
			 2005-06 3,041,000 1,239,000 329,000 4,609,000 
			 2006-07 3,612,000 1,793,000 1,226,000 6,631,000 
			 2007-08 2,610,000 2,319,000 3,075,000 8,004,000 
			 Total 22,515,000 17,411,000 4,786,000 44,712,000

Sports: Finance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much unallocated sports grant-in-aid there is in his Department's budget; and what plans he has to make the money available for grassroots sports initiatives.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department has no unallocated sports grant in aid.

Sports: Finance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding his Department provided for the Physical Education, School Sport and Club Link Strategy in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Physical Education, School Sport and Club Links (PESSCL) strategy has now evolved into the Physical Education and Sport Strategy for Young People (PESSYP).
	The following table shows DCMS investment to support PESSCL/PESSYP over 2003-08:
	
		
			  Financial year  £ million 
			 2003-04 27 
			 2004-05 38 
			 2005-06 45 
			 2006-07 44.75 
			 2007-08 44.75

Sports: Leeds

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much Lottery funding was awarded to sport-related groups in Leeds in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Sport England has advised that it has made the following relevant Lottery awards in Leeds:
	
		
			   Total (£) 
			 2003-2004 7,138,166 
			 2004-2005 2,833,963 
			 2005-2006 3,028,476 
			 2006-2007 7,393,195 
			 2007-2008 2,799,863 
			 Grand total 23,193,663 
		
	
	In addition, some grants made by the Big Lottery Fund may have benefited groups related to sport in Leeds.

Sports: Private Sector

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on what date Fast Track presented him with a business case for raising private sector support for elite sport; and on what date he approved the business case.

Andy Burnham: Fast Track Sales were appointed as the Department's official adviser in July this year. Fast Track are working with DCMS and UK Sport on the detail of the 'Medal Hopes' funding scheme which I hope will attract sponsorship from national, regional and local businesses to help realise the potential of those athletes on UK Sport's World Class Performance Programme. Further details of the scheme will be announced in due course.

State Visits: Expenditure

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department has spent on each state visit to the UK since 2003.

Andy Burnham: The costs recorded as being directly attributable to state visits in each financial year were as follows:
	
		
			   Costs (£) 
			 2003-04 343,000 
			 2004-05 495,000 
			 2005-06 360,000 
			 2006-07 112,000 
			 2007-08 172,000 
		
	
	Information is not held in the Department's accounting system on the costs of individual visits.

Taking Part Survey

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of expenditure incurred in conducting the most recent Taking Part survey; and what proportion of this expenditure was met by his Department's non-departmental public bodies.

Barbara Follett: holding answer 9 October 2008
	The Taking Part survey contract was renewed in May 2008 to extend the survey until 2010-11. Fieldwork under the new contract began in July.
	The estimated cost across the three-year period (2008-09 to 2010-11) is £5.5 million. In addition to supporting core running costs of the survey, this total includes other costs such as additional analysis, piloting and questionnaire reviews.
	The participating non-departmental public bodies make the following proportionate contributions to the total cost:
	
		
			  Contributions from NDPBs to Taking Part, 2008-09 to 2010-11 
			   Percentage 
			 Arts Council England 16 
			 English Heritage 4 
			 Museums, Libraries and Archives Council 4 
			 Sport England 33

Wembley Stadium: Construction

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on monitoring progress in the construction of Wembley Stadium in each of the last three years; and if he will break down the costs by category.

Gerry Sutcliffe: DCMS engaged Sport England to monitor the contract for the demolition and rebuilding of Wembley Stadium and provide confirmation that work relating to milestones had been satisfactorily completed and payment could be made by the Department. The cost of this monitoring in the last three years is as follows:
	
		
			   £000 
			 2005-06 75 
			 2006-07 50 
			 2007-08 75 
		
	
	As the monitoring only related to confirming that work had been satisfactorily completed there is no breakdown of costs into categories.

TREASURY

Banks: Republic of Ireland

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment has been made of the consequences for UK-owned and based financial institutions of the decision by the Irish government to underwrite all deposits held by Irish banks.

Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the implications for the competitiveness of United Kingdom banks of the decision on 29 September of the Irish Government to place an unlimited two year guarantee on all deposits and some debts in six Irish banks.

Ian Pearson: A number of EU member states have recently increased the compensation limits of their deposit-guarantee schemes. Member states have now agreed to coordinate their actions and to take account of the cross-border effects of national decisions. The European Commission is bringing forward a proposal to promote convergence of deposit-guarantee schemes.
	The competitiveness of UK banks should not be adversely affected by these moves As set out in the Chancellor's statement on financial markets to the House of Commons of 13 October, the Government are bringing forward specific and comprehensive measures to ensure the stability of the financial system and to protect ordinary savers, depositors, businesses and borrowers.

Child Trust Fund

John Battle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families on low incomes in Leeds West constituency have not claimed the Child Trust Fund initial payment since its introduction.

Ian Pearson: Eligibility to the Child Trust Fund is not subject to a claim. Where parents do not use the Government voucher to open an account themselves, HMRC opens an account for the child instead. All UK resident children in a Child Benefit award, who are born on or after 1 September 2002 and who are not subject to immigration control, will have a Child Trust Fund.

Credit Unions

John Battle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to promote saving with credit unions in the current financial circumstances.

Ian Pearson: The Government recognise the role that credit unions together with other mutual societies play in encouraging a savings culture among its members as well as the contribution they make in providing for greater choice and diversity in the financial services sector.
	Government are currently consulting on proposals to amend credit union legislation The proposed changes, which include reform of the membership criteria and the ability to pay interest on members' savings, will serve to increase public awareness of the services provided by credit unions and to encourage their use.

Departmental Research

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of his Department's budget was used for research within its areas of responsibility in each of the last 10 years.

Angela Eagle: Details of the Treasury's administration budgets and spending on research and development are shown in the annual resource accounts.

Departmental Written Questions

Mark Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of written questions for answer on a named day his Department has answered on the due date in the current session of Parliament to date.

Angela Eagle: Treasury Ministers endeavour to answer written parliamentary questions promptly wherever possible. Of the 948 named day questions tabled to the Treasury in the current parliamentary session, 613 (64.7 per cent.) were answered on the day nominated by questioners.

Drugs: Smuggling

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the monetary value was of illegal drugs seized by HM Revenue and Customs in 2007-08.

Stephen Timms: In the financial year 2007-08 HMRC seized controlled drugs to the monetary value of approximately £292 million.

Economic Situation: Families

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what steps his Department has taken to assist families in the current economic climate;
	(2)  what recent steps his Department has taken to assist families in reducing their household bills.

Stephen Timms: On 11 September the Government announced a £1 billion package of energy efficiency measures, including at least 50 per cent. off a range of energy saving measures for all households, with 11 million of the most vulnerable households qualifying for these free of charge.
	In addition, extra help for the vulnerable this winter will be provided by an increase in cold weather payments, which will triple from £8.50 to £25 for this winter.
	On 2 September the Government announced reforms to the support for mortgage interest (SMI) system—which is paid to people on income support, pension credit and income-based jobseeker's allowance to help meet the interest payments on their mortgage—to more accurately reflect the value of people's property and reduce the waiting time before help from SMI is available. The Government will keep this system of support under review.
	I also refer the hon. Member to the answer given to his question on 14 July 2008 by the Exchequer Secretary,  Official Report, column 140W, and to the answer my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer gave to the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland (Dr. Kumar) on 17 July 2008,  Official Report, column 631W.

Taxation: Aviation

Justine Greening: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of  (a) the carbon dioxide and  (b) the nitrogen oxide emissions output for all fleet models of aircraft (i) currently using and (ii) predicted to use UK airports as part of its formulation of aviation duty policy;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of  (a) the carbon dioxide emissions output during the landing and take off cycle and  (b) the maximum take off weight of all fleet models of aircraft (i) using and (ii) predicted to use UK airports as part of its formulation of aviation duty policy;
	(3)  what recent discussions his Department has had with the Department for Transport on the use of  (a) carbon dioxide emissions output during the landing and take off cycle and  (b) the maximum take off weight as a basis for a per aeroplane aviation duty.

Angela Eagle: A formal consultation on aviation duty was published on 31 January 2008 and dosed on 24 April 2008. This consultation considered all aspects of the operation of the duty including the basis, for which Maximum Take-Off Weight was the lead option. Two alternatives were also discussed and these were the CO2 emissions and NOx emissions in the landing and take-off cycle (LTO).
	170 consultation responses were received and these have been considered in the policy development process. Further analysis of the suitability of CO2 emissions or NOx emissions in the LTO and of Maximum Take-Off Weight as the basis of the tax has been ongoing. DFT along with other Government Departments has been involved in the development of the duty. The details of the duty have not yet been set. The Chancellor plans to make an announcement in the autumn.

Taxation: Aviation

Richard Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effect of the rate of duty to apply to waste derived fuel oil from 1 November 2008 on  (a) the volume of hazardous waste oil recovered and re-processed,  (b) investment in the collection and re-processing of hazardous waste oil,  (c) the manufacturing of secondary fuel product,  (d) the volume of hazardous waste oil sent to landfill and  (e) the volume of hazardous waste oil incinerated;
	(2)  what consideration he has given to exercise the discretion provided under the Energy Products Directive to observe differentiation in the application of hydrocarbon oil duty to reflect the quality and environmental impact of different waste derived fuel oils;
	(3)  if the Government will delay the introduction of hydrocarbon oil duty until the Waste Protocols Project is complete;
	(4)  if the Government will review its decision not to exercise the discretion provided under the Energy Products Directive to observe differentiation in the application of hydrocarbon oil duty to reflect the quality and environmental impact of different waste derived fuel oils once the Waste Protocols Project is complete;
	(5)  what consideration the Government has given to applying the 15 euro per kilogramme minimum required under the Energy Products Directive to duty on Waste Derived Fuel Oils.

Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Morley and Rothwell (Colin Challen) on 14 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 1059-60W.

Firearms: Smuggling

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many weapons HM Revenue and Customs prevented from entering the UK in 2007-08.

Stephen Timms: This information is published in annex F, page 110 of the HM Revenue and Customs Departmental Report 2008 which is available from the House of Commons Library and at the following web address:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/dept-report-2008.pdf.

Gift Aid Scheme

David Howarth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how long the gift aid transitional rate of 22 per cent. announced on 12 March 2008 will remain in place; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The Chancellor announced at Budget 2008 that the Gift Aid transitional rate will be applied to qualifying donations from individual taxpayers made in the tax years 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11.

HMRC

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the operational costs of the HMRC offices in  (a) St. Helens,  (b) Blackburn and  (c) Chorley were in each of the last five years.

Stephen Timms: Most of the offices of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) house staff from a number of different business units. Individual business units are organised on national lines and are allocated budgets to meet their total costs and overheads for all their staff. It would be possible only at disproportionate cost to break down the costs of each business unit to individual office level.

HMRC

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the condition of the HMRC offices in  (a) St. Helens and  (b) Blackburn; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: HM Revenue and Customs' (HMRC's) offices in St. Helens and Blackburn are occupied under the terms of an estates Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract. Under this contract HMRC's estates partner, Mapeley, is required to ensure that all HMRC accommodation meets the required contractual standards.

Managers: Fees and Charges

Clive Betts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was paid by employers in fees and subscriptions on behalf of their employees, as recorded in section M of P11D forms, in each of the last three years.

Stephen Timms: The taxable value of fees and subscriptions paid by employers on behalf of their employees is shown in table 4.1 "Recipients, taxable amount and income tax and NICs liability, by each main category of benefit" on the HM Revenue and Customs website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/taxable_benefits/menu.htm

Member: Correspondence

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Northavon, sent on behalf of his constituent Mr. Mike Wetton, reference wet/jeh, dated 28 July 2008.

Yvette Cooper: I have replied to the hon. Member.

Taxation

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the effect on revenue to the Exchequer of index linking capital gains and taxing them as income.

Stephen Timms: A broad estimate of the eventual steady state impact of index linking capital gains and taxing them as income, taking account of the likely taxpayer response to such a change, is additional receipts in the order of £2 billion a year by comparison with the capital gains tax regime contained in the Finance Act 2008. However, a reform of this kind would result in a large behavioural response and as such estimates are susceptible to a wide margin of error.

Working Tax Credit

John Battle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families with children have claimed the childcare element of the working tax credit in  (a) Leeds West constituency and  (b) the City of Leeds since the element was introduced.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is available only at a disproportionate cost.
	However, estimates of the average number of families benefiting from the child care element of working tax credit, by constituency and local authority, in 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07 are provided in the HMRC publications "Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Finalised Annual Awards. Geographical Analyses", for each relevant year. These publications are available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Council Tax: Fire Services

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions she has had with  (a) regional management boards and  (b) local authority-controlled companies' representatives on the apportionment of running costs in respect of the FiReControl project with regard to council tax; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: A consultation paper on inter-regional cost apportionment was issued on 7 August 2008 as Fire and Rescue Service Circular 41/2008. We have invited responses to this consultation by 31 October 2008 and all of these will be considered before making a decision.

Council Tax: Valuation

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley of 1 July 2008,  Official Report, column 787W, on council tax: valuation, what the evidential basis was for the observations on the number of consequentials made in the minutes of the meeting of the Programme Board.

John Healey: The observations referred to were made on the basis of ongoing feedback from staff who had been undertaking work, up to that time, on the revaluation.

Departmental Recruitment

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much  (a) her Department and  (b) its Executive agencies spent on (i) recruitment consultants and (ii) external recruitment advertising to recruit staff in each of the last five financial years; which recruitment consultants were employed for those purposes in each of those years; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Communities and Local Government can provide information on the total amount it has spent on recruitment including the use of consultants and external advertising for the last five financial years.
	
		
			  Financial year  Recruitment spend (£) 
			 2003-04 397,827.12 
			 2004-05 440,671.26 
			 2005-06 349,630.64 
			 2006-07 267,469.08 
			 2007-08 516,468.48 
		
	
	The figures provided include the recruitment of staff into the senior civil service in the agencies of the Department.
	We do not hold more detailed information on the amount spent by  (a) the Department and  (b) the Executive agencies on the use of (i) consultants and (ii) external advertising for the last five financial years.
	The Department used the following recruitment consultants in the last five financial years:
	 2003-04
	Succession Planning Associates Ltd.
	Penna plc.
	Capita Business Services Ltd.
	Saxton Bampflyde Hever
	KMC International
	KPMG
	 2004-05
	Succession Planning Associates Ltd.
	Whitehead Mann Ltd.
	Capita Business Services Ltd.
	Hays Personnel Services
	Centre Point Group Ltd.
	 2005-06
	Penna plc.
	Capita Business Services Ltd.
	Centre Point Group Ltd.
	Taylor-Stewart Ltd.
	Northern Recruitment Group plc.
	 2006-07
	Whitehead Mann Ltd.
	KPMG
	Penna plc.
	Advanced Human Resources
	TMP (UK) Ltd.
	Personnel Assessment Ltd.
	 2007-08
	Penna plc.
	Whitehead Mann Ltd.
	Advanced Human Resources
	Allen Lane
	Odgers Ray and Berndston
	Capita Business Services Ltd.

Departmental Voluntary Work

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many departmental staff of each grade undertook voluntary work as set out in her Department's volunteering policy in the last 12 months; and how many days of volunteering those staff undertook  (a) in total and  (b) on average.

Sadiq Khan: This information is not held centrally and so there would be a disproportionate cost involved in collating information from individual line managers to provide an answer at this time.
	In addition to our provisions for special leave to undertake certain types of voluntary roles, the main Department has recently launched a new volunteering scheme to promote a variety of development opportunities for all staff to enable them to play an active part in their community. As part of this scheme we have improved our information management system so that staff can record their volunteering activities, and we will therefore be able to provide related information in the future.

Domestic Visits: Minister for Yorkshire and the Humber

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which parliamentary constituencies the Minister for Yorkshire and the Humber has visited in her capacity as Minister for the region in the last 12 months.

Sadiq Khan: holding answer 14 October 2008
	The Minister for Yorkshire and Humber has visited or attended meetings in the following constituencies since October 2007, some on more than one occasion.
	
		
			  The right hon.  Caroline Flint —from 4 October 2007 to 26 January 2008 
			  Constituency  Number of times visited 
			 Bradford West 1 
			 City of York 1 
			 Don Valley 2 
			 Doncaster Central 2 
			 Doncaster North 1 
			 Hull West and Hessle 1 
			 Leeds Central 2 
			 Scarborough and Whitby 1 
			 Wakefield 1 
		
	
	
		
			  The right hon. Rosie Winterton—from 27 January to 3 October 2008 
			  Constituency  Number of times visited 
			 Barnsley Central 1 
			 Barnsley West and Penistone 2 
			 Batley and Spen 1 
			 Bradford North 1 
			 Bradford South 2 
			 Bradford West 2 
			 City of York 8 
			 Cleethorpes 1 
			 Doncaster Central 3 
			 Elmet 1 
			 Great Grimsby 1 
			 Harrogate and Knaresborough 2 
			 Hemsworth 1 
			 Leeds Central 27 
			 Leeds North East 2 
			 Morley and Rothwell 1 
			 Pudsey 1 
			 Richmond 1 
			 Rotherham 1 
			 Sheffield Central 3 
			 Skipton and Ripon 2 
			 Wakefield 6 
			 Wentworth 1

Eco-Towns

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of proposals that the first eco-towns should go ahead in those sites which are urban extensions; how she expects eco-towns to provide sustainable community development models for future urban communities; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: We want eco-towns to be exemplars in tackling the challenges of housing growth and climate change, and they will make an important contribution to the development of new technologies and practices, as well as promoting excellent new design. As such they will help inform the development of towns, cities, suburbs and urban extensions. More details about the standards that eco-towns must meet will be set out in the draft eco-towns Planning Policy Statement, which we will be publishing shortly for consultation.
	Some of the schemes we are considering are close to urban areas, but an eco-town needs to have the critical mass to develop its own identity, standards and scope for innovation.

Fire Services

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library the minutes of meetings of the FiReControl Project Business Case Assumptions Review Group held in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: I have placed copies of the summary notes for the three meetings held of the Business Case Assumptions Review Group in the House library. We published the Business Case Part 1: "The Regional Case" on the 8 July and a copy has been placed in the House Library. The Business Case Part 2: "The National Case" will be published later in the year and a copy placed in the Library.

Fire Services: Consultants

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department paid PA Consulting for work related to the FiReControl project in each quarter from 1 April 2005 to 30 September 2008; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: Total paid to PA Consulting for work relating to the FiReControl project from 1 April 2005 is £21.7 million broken down by quarter as follows:
	
		
			   2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Q1 1,907,761.54 1,453,129.09 765,534.36 1,663,500.46 
			 Q2 1,959,540.14 1,375,895.98 806,915.69 1,968,397.55 
			 Q3 2,362,422.82 1,511,144.05 2,236,355.59 — 
			 Q4 1,816,378.06 1,035,375.34 804,426.91 — 
			 Total 8,046,102.56 5,375,544.46 4,613,232.55 3,631,898.01

Fire Services: Data Protection

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she is taking to safeguard sensitive data during transfer between fire and rescue services to central databases at data centres identified under the FiReControl project; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: The FiReControl project will ensure that all data transfers between Fire and Rescue Services and the FiReControl central database will be fully protected and encrypted, commensurate with the type of data being transferred, in alignment with HMG standards and good practice guidance written by CESG, the information assurance arm of GCHQ. In line with CESG guidance, technical measures are complemented with physical, personnel and procedural measures. These will be fully tested and assured, and subject to ongoing review to ensure a comprehensive approach to safeguard all information.

Fire Services: Expenditure

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been spent on agency staff employed in respect of the FiReControl project since 1 April 2005, broken down by regional management board; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: The information requested is not held centrally.

Homelessness

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households registered as homeless there were in each of the last eight quarters, broken down by  (a) local authority and  (b) age of applicant.

Iain Wright: Information about English local housing authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation (Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996) is collected quarterly at local authority level. Data collected include the number of households accepted by local housing authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty (to secure that suitable accommodation is available). These households are known as 'accepted' households.
	Data on accepted households are provided in our quarterly Statistical Release on Statutory Homelessness, which is published on our website and placed in the Library each quarter. This includes acceptances by local authority, and acceptances by age band of applicant.
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/homelessnessstatistics/publicationshomelessness/
	Acceptances by local authority are published in each quarter's Statistical Release, in the Supplementary Tables. In addition, a table showing these data for the last eight quarters has been placed in the Library.
	Data on the age band of accepted applicants, for the last eight quarters, can be found in Table 10b of the most recent quarterly Statistical Release on Statutory Homelessness, available in the Library. For ease, this table can be found as follows:
	
		
			Acceptances by age of applicant 
			   Total number of households accepted during period  16-24  %  of total  25-44  %  of total  45-59  %  of total  60-64  %  of total  65-74  %  of total  75 and over  %  of total 
			  2006  
			 Quarter 3 19,390 7,940 41 9,130 47 1,700 9 230 1 280 1 110 1 
			 Quarter 4 17,310 7,010 40 8,240 48 1,530 9 200 1 230 1 100 1 
			   
			  2007  
			 Quarter 1 17,230 7,090 41 8,100 47 1,440 9 200 1 240 1 100 1 
			 Quarter 2 15,960 6,520 41 7,510 47 1,450 9 180 1 220 1 90 1 
			 Quarter 3 16,540 6,670 40 7,780 47 1,520 9 220 1 230 1 120 1 
			 Quarter 4 15,240 5,930 39 7,410 49 1,440 9 190 1 180 1 100 1 
			   
			  2008  
			 Quarter 1 15,430 6,130 40 7,400 48 1,470 10 170 1 200 1 70 0 
			 Quarter 2 15,680 6,200 40 7,630 49 1,430 9 170 1 180 1 80 1

Housing: Construction

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effect of reductions in land values for the Government's housebuilding targets.

Iain Wright: The Government do not publish forecasts for private house building.

Housing: Heating

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent representations she has received on building regulations for domestic heating pumps; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: There are different technologies associated with domestic heating pumps. The Department is engaging with a number of industry associations over the role of these technologies in buildings, especially as part of the 2010 review of Part L (energy efficiency) of the Building Regulations and the Code for Sustainable Homes, which set standards in terms of energy efficiency.

Housing: Low Incomes

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what the average length of time taken was for a family to be provided with suitable housing after entering the socially provided housing waiting list in  (a) Leeds and  (b) Yorkshire in each of the last two years;
	(2)  how many families were on the socially provided housing waiting list in  (a) Leeds and  (b) Yorkshire in each of the last 10 years.

Iain Wright: Information for average length of time on a housing waiting list is not collected centrally.
	Information about social housing waiting lists is collected in respect of households rather than families. Where local authorities and registered social landlords operate a common register, households registered with the RSL will be included in the data. However, registered social landlords are independent bodies and can keep their own waiting lists. Information on the number of households on local authorities' waiting lists broken down by Government office region and local authority for 1997 to 2007 is published on the Communities and Local Government website in Table 600 at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/144458.xls
	Copies of this table have been deposited in the Library of the House.
	The number of households on local authorities' waiting lists for Yorkshire and the Humber, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and Leeds from 1997 to 2007 is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of households on local authorities' housing waiting: 1997 to 2007 
			   Number of households on the waiting list (excludes households looking for transfers) 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 173,750 175,610 172,220 164,360 150,390 162,370 195,740 197,650 227,430 247,500 270,070 
			 North Yorkshire 9,370 8,430 8,580 6,910 7,130 7,660 9,180 11,010 12,300 12,980 13,510 
			 South Yorkshire 81,450 89,490 83,720 89,720 73,510 81,850 93,290 86,200 104,010 119,720 123,560 
			 West Yorkshire 54,790 50,650 49,100 43,280 44,790 49,190 65,800 73,210 83,720 90,770 102,000 
			 Leeds 19,640 18,850 27,010 22,770 25,320 26,640 31,110 30,960 30,700 23,850 24,780 
			  Note: As reported by local authorities. Excludes households looking for transfers. Rounded to the nearest 10. (Leeds forms part of West Yorkshire)  Source: Communities and Local Government Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix return (HSSA) 
		
	
	Local authorities in England report the number of households on their housing waiting list as at 1 April in their annual housing strategy statistical appendix returns. The size of the waiting list is not an indicator of absolute need; it is only useful as a broad indicator of housing demand in an area. Not everyone on the waiting list is necessarily in urgent housing need. The waiting list includes those who consider social housing as their preferred or one of a number of housing options, and those who decide to get onto the waiting list ladder before they need or want to move house.

Housing: Sustainable Development

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes have been assessed against the Code for Sustainable Homes since 1 May 2008; how many of these homes have been issued with  (a) design stage and  (b) post-construction certificates for levels (i) 3, (ii) 4 and (iii) 6 of the Code; and if she will break down these figures by type of landlord.

Iain Wright: There is approximately a six month time lag between registration and the design stage assessment, with a further time lag between the time the design is assessed and graded and when the home is built and the post-construction assessment carried out.
	382 homes have been assessed against the Code for Sustainable Homes since 7 April 2008 (which is the date that we received data). Of these 337 received design stage certificates at code level 3 and none at code levels 4 and 6.
	There are now 11 homes with post construction certificates; nine at code level 3 and two at code level 4. We do not currently hold data on whether the property is freehold or the status of the tenancy.

Housing: Sustainable Development

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many Code for Sustainable Homes assessors in each region have been fully accredited; and how many are in training.

Iain Wright: As of 13 September 2008 there were 884 licensed code assessors; in addition there are 981 people that have either completed the training or will have by the end of the year but have yet to become licensed assessors. We currently do not hold data on the numbers of assessors in each region.

Housing: Valuation

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the internal refurbishment of a property, where the physical refurbishment affects the notional rent that the property would attract, should routinely lead to the carrying out of revised valuation by the Valuation Office Agency prior to the 2010 business rates revaluation.

John Healey: The Valuation Officer has a statutory duty to maintain a correct rating list. When he/she becomes aware that an internal physical refurbishment of a property has increased its rateable value, under the statutory definition, he/she is obliged to alter the current rating list accordingly. The rateable value must have regard to the market conditions at the antecedent valuation date (1 April 2003 for the current rating lists), and will take effect from the completion of the works.
	A refurbishment which addresses disrepair may not warrant an increase in the rateable value since the statutory definition already assumes a reasonable state of repair.

Housing: Yorkshire and the Humber

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many first-time buyers purchased a home in  (a) Leeds and  (b) Yorkshire in each of the last 10 years.

Iain Wright: Communities and Local Government do not hold the information requested.
	The Council of Mortgage Lenders does publish data on number of mortgages to first-time buyers for the UK but not at more local geographies. The UK data can be found at:
	http://www.cml.org.uk/cml/filegrab/lML2.xls?ref=4624

Non-Domestic Rates: Ports

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what requests for meetings her Department has received from businesses operating at ports to discuss changes to the rules on business rates for businesses on ports land and the backdating of that tax.

John Healey: The Department has received no request for a meeting from businesses operating at ports. The Department has received 14 letters from businesses, local authorities and MPs on behalf of their constituents setting out the concerns of businesses within the ports. The Government are aware of the concerns and are looking at the situation.

Non-Domestic Rates: Ports

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many businesses located in British ports have gone into liquidation since the issuing of business rate demands for port tenants; and what their names are.

John Healey: The Department does not collect such information.

Parking: Income

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) gross and  (b) net income from parking was for each local authority in England in each year between 1996 and 2003.

John Healey: I have placed in the Library of the House a table showing the requested information on the gross and net income on parking services by each local authority in England between 1998-99 and 2001 -02.
	Figures for 1997-98 have been presented separately owing to complexities arising from the extensive local government reorganisation which took place around that time.
	For 1996-97, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 6 October,  Official Report, column 354W.
	For 2002-03 and 2003-04, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Regent's Park and Kensington, North (Ms Buck) on 18 June 2008,  Official Report, column 941W.
	Aggregate information for England is published in editions of Local Government Financial Statistics and the information is drawn from the Communities and Local Government Revenue Outturn (RO) returns.
	Comparisons across years may not be valid due to changing local authority responsibilities.

Regional Ministers

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost of the  (a) private offices,  (b) salaries,  (c) administration costs and  (d) travel expenses, broken down by (i) first class rail, (ii) standard class rail, (iii) first class air travel, (iv) economy class air travel and (v) taxis of Regional Ministers since their appointment has been; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Secretary of State to the right hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs. May) on 22 May 2008,  Official Report, column 448W. There have been some slight amendments to the figures collected in May as follows:
	
		
			  Government office  Gra de  and FTE 
			 West Midlands FTE increased from 1.7 to 1.9 
			  Added: 0.2 Administrative Officer 
			   
			 South East FTE increased from 2.0 to 2.55 
			  Now: 0.2 Grade 6, 0.75 Grade 7, 0.4 Higher Executive Officer, 1.0 Executive Officer, 0.2 Administrative Officer 
			   
			 South West FTE increased from 1.0 to 1.9 
			  Now: 0.2 Grade 6, 0.4 Grade 7, 0.5 Higher Executive Officer, 0.8 Executive Officer 
		
	
	Regional Ministers do not receive a salary for carrying out their duties over and above that given to them as Departmental Ministers.
	This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	CLG incurred costs of £4,324.78 for driver services for Regional Ministers' travel in the region. As all other travel expenses were covered by their home Departments, this information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Rented Housing: Private Sector

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government is taking to protect tenants who are faced with the possibility of eviction when their buy-to-let landlord becomes insolvent.

Iain Wright: We believe it is good practice where possible for the lender to let the tenancy run and use the rental payments to cover the mortgage repayments until the end of the tenancy or where the tenancy has become a periodic tenancy to give the statutory two month notice period as a minimum.
	We have commissioned an independent review of the private rented sector, from Julie Rugg and David Rhodes, Centre for Housing Policy, University of York. It will report on 23 October and we will consider any recommendations the report makes in relation to landlord insolvency.

Taxis

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was claimed in expenses for taxi travel by officials from  (a) her Department and  (b) its Executive agencies in (i) 2006-07, (ii) 2005-06, (iii) 2004-05, (iv) 2003-04 and (v) 2002-03; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: Total amounts claimed in taxi expenses by officials in this Department and its direct predecessors are as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Core  d epartment  Government offices 
			 2002-03 115,226 — 
			 2003-04 146,071 10,606 
			 2004-05 158,506 43,318 
			 2005-06 149,382 47,140 
			 2006-07 121,564 41,427 
			 2007-08 109,444 40,657 
		
	
	Figures for the Government offices in 2002-03 are not available and for 2003-04 are for part of the year only. Figures for taxi expenditure incurred by the Department's Executive agencies are not available centrally.

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

Adult Education: Standards

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what plans his Department has to require colleges to accept targets from the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) for adult education courses which are not themselves funded by the LSC; and if he will make a statement.

Si�n Simon: We are committed to continuing to increase Government investment in adult skills. Alongside this investment from Government there needs to be a shared responsibility for investment in skills and training by learners and employers, especially where they realise the greatest private returns.
	Increasing income through fees, including activity not funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is a key part of ensuring there is a full range of provision available to adult learners.
	The LSC have developed a consistent national framework designed to help colleges understand the scope they have for increasing fee income. While some colleges have responded very proactively and innovatively to this agenda, increasing both income and choice for learners, other colleges have not seen it as a priority.
	We have therefore been working with the LSC, the Learning and Skills Improvement Service and the Association of Colleges to create a package of support consisting of good practice guides, a fees toolkit and workshops. This support is designed to help all colleges understand how they can adopt fee strategies which have seen other colleges expand fee income and increase learner choice.
	Alongside this the LSC have introduced fee income targets to ensure that the profile and importance of this agenda is clear to all colleges. This will also ensure that we are able to recognise the overall volume of education and training delivered by FE colleges outside of LSC funding.

Apprentices: Newcastle-under-Lyme

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  how many apprenticeships were  (a) available and  (b) taken up in (i) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (ii) North Staffordshire in 2007-08;
	(2)  what apprenticeships were  (a) made available and  (b) taken up in (i) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (ii) North Staffordshire in 2007-08.

Si�n Simon: The latest fully audited data that we have is for the 2006/07 academic year. Figures are not directly available for North Staffordshire. Figures have been provided for Staffordshire local authority.
	Apprenticeships are demand-led and employer responsive; therefore the number of apprenticeship places available is determined by the number of places employers are able to offer and subject to learner demand. That is why, in terms of monitoring performance, we focus on the number of people who actually start on an apprenticeship programme.
	World-class Apprenticeships confirmed our commitment to stimulate a greater supply of apprenticeship places with employers. This is a key element of the remit of the new National Apprenticeship Service and its National Vacancy Matching Service which will help employers advertise apprenticeship vacancies and enable prospective apprentices to apply for them online.
	Table 1 shows apprenticeship starts for 2006/07 for Staffordshire and Newcastle-Under-Lyme, and nationally.
	Table 2 lists the apprenticeship starts in Staffordshire in 2006/07 by Sector Framework of Learning.
	Table 3 lists the apprenticeship starts in Newcastle-under-Lyme by Sector Framework of Learning.
	
		
			  Table 1: Apprenticeship starts in 2006/07 by geographical area 
			  Area  Starts 
			 Nationally 184,000 
			 Staffordshire(1) 3,590 
			 Newcastle-under-Lyme(2) 450 
			 (1) Staffordshire local authority based on learner's home postcode. (2) Newcastle-under-Lyme parliamentary constituency based on learner's home postcode.  Note: Figures include apprenticeships, advanced apprenticeships and a very small number of higher level apprenticeships.  Source: ILR work-based learning data. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Apprenticeship starts in 2006/07 in Staffordshire local authority by Sector Framework of Learning 
			  Sector Framework of Learning  Starts 
			 Accountancy 110 
			 Active Leisure and Learning 60 
			 Agricultural Crops and Livestock 10 
			 Amenity Horticulture 30 
			 Animal Care (1) 
			 Automotive Industry 10 
			 Aviation (1) 
			 Barbering (1) 
			 Building Services Engineering Technicians (1) 
			 Business Administration 340 
			 Children's Care Learning and Development 230 
			 Communications Technologies (Telecoms) 10 
			 Construction 400 
			 Contact Centres 110 
			 Customer Service 330 
			 Dental Nursing 20 
			 Driving Goods Vehicles 10 
			 Electrical and Electronic Servicing (1) 
			 Electricity Industry (1) 
			 Electrotechnical 110 
			 Emergency Fire Service Operations (1) 
			 Engineering 180 
			 Engineering Construction (1) 
			 Equine Industry 20 
			 Farriery (1) 
			 Fencing (1) 
			 Floristry (1) 
			 Food and Drink Manufacturing Operations (1) 
			 Furniture Industry (1) 
			 Gas Industry 20 
			 Glass Industry (1) 
			 Hairdressing 270 
			 Health and Social Care 140 
			 Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration 10 
			 Hospitality and Catering 360 
			 Industrial Applications 40 
			 IT Services and Development 20 
			 IT User 60 
			 Land-based Service Engineering 10 
			 Mail Services (1) 
			 Management 60 
			 Meat and Poultry Processing 10 
			 Optical Advisor (1) 
			 Pharmacy Technicians (1) 
			 Plumbing 100 
			 Polymer Processing and Signmaking (1) 
			 Printing 10 
			 Property Services (1) 
			 Retail 160 
			 Security Industry (1) 
			 Sporting Excellence 10 
			 Storage and Warehousing 40 
			 Teaching Assistants (1) 
			 Textiles (1) 
			 Transport Engineering and Maintenance (1) 
			 Travel and Tourism Services Leisure and Business 30 
			 Trees and Timber (1) 
			 Vehicle Body and Paint Operations 20 
			 Vehicle Fitting 10 
			 Vehicle Maintenance and Repair 160 
			 Vehicle Parts Operations 10 
			 Vehicle Sales (1) 
			 Veterinary Nursing 20 
			 Wholesale, Distribution, Warehousing and Storage 40 
			 Total 3,590 
			 (1) Represents a number less than 10.  Notes: 1. Staffordshire local authority based on learner's home postcode 2. Figures include apprenticeships, advanced apprenticeships, and a very small number of higher level apprenticeships. 3. Figures may not sum to the total due to rounding.  Source: ILR work-based learning data. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Apprenticeship starts in 2006/07 in Newcastle-under-Lyme parliamentary constituency by Sector Framework of Learning 
			  Sector Framework of Learning  Starts 
			 Accountancy 20 
			 Active Leisure and Learning (1) 
			 Agricultural Crops and Livestock (1) 
			 Amenity Horticulture (1) 
			 Animal Care (1) 
			 Automotive Industry (1) 
			 Building Services Engineering Technicians (1) 
			 Business Administration 40 
			 Children's Care Learning and Development 30 
			 Construction 40 
			 Contact Centres 50 
			 Customer Service 50 
			 Dental Nursing (1) 
			 Electrotechnical 10 
			 Engineering 20 
			 Equine Industry (1) 
			 Furniture Industry (1) 
			 Gas Industry (1) 
			 Hairdressing 30 
			 Health and Social Care 10 
			 Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (1) 
			 Hospitality and Catering 30 
			 Industrial Applications 10 
			 IT Services and Development (1) 
			 IT User 20 
			 Management 10 
			 Plumbing 10 
			 Retail 20 
			 Storage and Warehousing (1) 
			 Textiles (1) 
			 Travel and Tourism Services Leisure and Business (1) 
			 Vehicle Body and Paint Operations (1) 
			 Vehicle Fitting (1) 
			 Vehicle Maintenance and Repair 20 
			 Vehicle Parts Operations (1) 
			 Wholesale, Distribution, Warehousing and Storage (1) 
			 Total 450 
			 (1) Represents a number less than 10.  Notes: 1. Newcastle-under-Lyme parliamentary constituency based on learner's home postcode 2. Figures include apprenticeships, advanced apprenticeships, and a very small number of higher level apprenticeships. 3. Figures may not sum to the total due to rounding.  Source: ILR work-based learning data.

Apprentices: Newcastle-under-Lyme

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  how many apprenticeships are available in  (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and  (b) North Staffordshire, broken down by sector; and if he will list each such apprenticeship;
	(2)  how many apprenticeships were offered in each sector in  (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and  (b) North Staffordshire in 2007-08.

Si�n Simon: The latest fully audited data that we have is for the 2006/07 academic year. Figures are not directly available for North Staffordshire. Figures have been provided for Staffordshire local authority.
	Apprenticeships are demand-led and employer responsive; therefore the number of apprenticeship places available is determined by the number of places employers are able to offer and subject to learner demand. That is why, in terms of monitoring performance, we focus on the number of people who actually start an apprenticeship programme.
	World-class Apprenticeships confirmed our commitment to stimulate a greater supply of apprenticeship places with employers. This is a key element of the remit of the new National Apprenticeship Service and its National Vacancy Matching Service which will help employers advertise apprenticeships vacancies and enable prospective apprentices to apply for them online.
	Table 1 lists the apprenticeship starts in Staffordshire in 2006-07 by Sector Framework of Learning.
	Table 2 lists the apprenticeship starts in Newcastle-Under-Lyme by Sector Framework of Learning.
	
		
			  Table 1: Apprenticeship starts in 2006-07 in Staffordshire local authority by sector framework of learning 
			  Sector Framework of Learning  Starts 
			 Accountancy 110 
			 Active Leisure and Learning 60 
			 Agricultural Crops and Livestock 10 
			 Amenity Horticulture 30 
			 Animal Care (1) 
			 Automotive Industry 10 
			 Aviation (1) 
			 Barbering (1) 
			 Building Services Engineering Technicians (1) 
			 Business Administration 340 
			 Children's Care Learning and Development 230 
			 Communications Technologies (Telecoms) 10 
			 Construction 400 
			 Contact Centres 110 
			 Customer Service 330 
			 Dental Nursing 20 
			 Driving Goods Vehicles 10 
			 Electrical and Electronic Servicing (1) 
			 Electricity Industry (1) 
			 Electrotechnical 110 
			 Emergency Fire Service Operations (1) 
			 Engineering 180 
			 Engineering Construction (1) 
			 Equine Industry 20 
			 Farriery (1) 
			 Fencing (1) 
			 Floristry (1) 
			 Food and Drink Manufacturing Operations (1) 
			 Furniture Industry (1) 
			 Gas Industry 20 
			 Glass Industry (1) 
			 Hairdressing 270 
			 Health and Social Care 140 
			 Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration 10 
			 Hospitality and Catering 360 
			 Industrial Applications 40 
			 IT Services and Development 20 
			 IT User 60 
			 Land-based Service Engineering 10 
			 Mail Services (1) 
			 Management 60 
			 Meat and Poultry Processing 10 
			 Optical Advisor (1) 
			 Pharmacy Technicians (1) 
			 Plumbing 100 
			 Polymer Processing and Signmaking (1) 
			 Printing 10 
			 Property Services (1) 
			 Retail 160 
			 Security Industry (1) 
			 Sporting Excellence 10 
			 Storage and Warehousing 40 
			 Teaching Assistants (1) 
			 Textiles (1) 
			 Transport Engineering and Maintenance (1) 
			 Travel and Tourism Services Leisure and Business 30 
			 Trees and Timber (1) 
			 Vehicle Body and Paint Operations 20 
			 Vehicle Fitting 10 
			 Vehicle Maintenance and Repair 160 
			 Vehicle Parts Operations 10 
			 Vehicle Sales (1) 
			 Veterinary Nursing 20 
			 Wholesale, Distribution, Warehousing and Storage 40 
			 Total 3,590 
			 (1) Represents a number less than 10.  Notes: 1. Staffordshire local authority based on learner's home postcode 2. Figures include apprenticeships, advanced apprenticeships, and a very small number of higher level apprenticeships. 3. Figures may not sum to the total due to rounding.  Source:  ILR Work-Based Learning Data. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Apprenticeship starts in 2006-07 in Newcastle-Under-Lyme parliamentary constituency by sector framework of learning 
			  Sector Framework of Learning  Starts 
			 Accountancy 20 
			 Active Leisure and Learning (1) 
			 Agricultural Crops and Livestock (1) 
			 Amenity Horticulture (1) 
			 Animal Care (1) 
			 Automotive Industry (1) 
			 Building Services Engineering Technicians (1) 
			 Business Administration 40 
			 Children's Care Learning and Development 30 
			 Construction 40 
			 Contact Centres 50 
			 Customer Service 50 
			 Dental Nursing (1) 
			 Electrotechnical 10 
			 Engineering 20 
			 Equine Industry (1) 
			 Furniture Industry (1) 
			 Gas Industry (1) 
			 Hairdressing 30 
			 Health and Social Care 10 
			 Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (1) 
			 Hospitality and Catering 30 
			 Industrial Applications 10 
			 IT Services and Development (1) 
			 IT User 20 
			 Management 10 
			 Plumbing 10 
			 Retail 20 
			 Storage and Warehousing (1) 
			 Textiles (1) 
			 Travel and Tourism Services Leisure and Business (1) 
			 Vehicle Body and Paint Operations (1) 
			 Vehicle Fitting (1) 
			 Vehicle Maintenance and Repair 20 
			 Vehicle Parts Operations (1) 
			 Wholesale, Distribution, Warehousing and Storage (1) 
			 Total 450 
			 (1) Represents a number less than 10.  Notes: 1. Newcastle-Under-Lyme Parliamentary Constituency based on learner's home postcode. 2. Figures include apprenticeships, advanced apprenticeships, and a very small number of higher level apprenticeships. 3. Figures may not sum to the total due to rounding.  Source:  ILR Work-Based Learning Data.

Arts: Knowledge Transfer Partnerships

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what progress has been made in establishing a knowledge transfer network for the creative industries.

David Lammy: The formation of the Creative Industries Knowledge Transfer Network, Creative Industries Technology Innovation Network (CITIN), was announced by the Technology Strategy Board in May this year, and the KTN began work in August. It will be managed by the University of the Arts London, Imperial College London, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and Tiga, the trade association for games developers.

Departmental Pay

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many non-pensionable bonuses were awarded to members of staff in his Department in the last 12 months; and at what total cost.

Si�n Simon: In the Department annual non-pensionable bonuses are awarded on the 1 April 2008 for the 12 month performance reporting period ending on 31 March 2008. The number of non-pensionable bonuses paid to members of the senior civil service was 41 at a total cost of 312,000.
	The pay award for staff below the SCS has not been agreed and therefore no awards have been made yet.

Disabled People

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many and what proportion of staff in  (a) his Department and  (b) the executive agencies for which he is responsible are disabled; and what the average salary in his (i) Department and (ii) executive agencies is of (A) full-time disabled staff, (B) full-time non-disabled staff, (C) part-time disabled staff and (D) part-time non-disabled staff.

Si�n Simon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office, my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich East (Mr. Watson) on 8 October 2008,  Official Report, column 651W.

Graduates: Debts

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  how many students who left  (a) Leeds University and  (b) Leeds Metropolitan University since 2005 are not earning the 15,000 threshold to begin paying back their student loans;
	(2)  what the average wage was of graduates of  (a) Leeds University and  (b) Leeds Metropolitan University of (i) 2005-06, (ii) 2006-07 and (iii) 2007-08.

David Lammy: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects information on graduates' salaries through the Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey. The DLHE Survey captures the first destinations of graduates, six months after leaving university. The most recent information available is for those who graduated in 2006/07 who were surveyed in early 2008.
	In 2006/07, 51 per cent. of UK domiciled leavers who obtained first degree qualifications and entered full-time paid employment in the UK disclosed their salary. 36 per cent. from the University of Leeds and 66 per cent. from Leeds Metropolitan University disclosed their salary. HESA therefore advises caution in analysis of leavers by salary. Respondents are asked to report their salary to the nearest 1,000.
	The latest available information on salaries of graduates, six months after graduation, is shown in the following tables. Comparable figures for the 2007/08 academic year will be available in July 2009.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of UK domiciled leavers who obtained first degree qualifications by destination six months after graduation academic years 2005/06 and 2006/07 
			  Higher education institution  Destination  2005/06  2006/07 
			 University of Leeds(1) Total with known salary(2) 765 870 
			   O f which:   
			  Number earning under 15,000 200 195 
			 
			 Leeds Metropolitan University(3) Total with known salary(2) 955 1070 
			   O f which:   
			  Number earning under 15,000 245 265 
			 
			 All UK HEIs Total with known salary(2) 53,640 54,140 
			   O f which:   
			  Number earning under 15,000 13,315 11,095 
			 (1) In 2006/07 36 per cent. of graduates from the University of Leeds, who responded to the DLHE survey, disclosed their salary. (2) Who are in full-time paid employment in the UK. (3) In 2006/07 66 per cent. of graduates from Leeds Metropolitan University, who responded to the DLHE survey, disclosed their salary.  Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest five.  Source: Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Median salaries of UK domiciled leavers who obtained first degree qualifications and entered full-time paid employment in the UKacademic years 2005/06 and 2006/07 
			   
			  Higher education institution  2005/06  2006/07 
			 University of Leeds(1) 18,000 18,000 
			 Leeds Metropolitan University(2) 17,000 18,000 
			 All UK HEIs 18,000 19,000 
			 (1) In 2006/07 36 per cent. of graduates from the University of Leeds, who responded to the DLHE survey, disclosed their salary. (2) In 2006/07 66 per cent. of graduates from Leeds Metropolitan University, who responded to the DLHE survey, disclosed their salary.  Source: Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey. 
		
	
	Around 80 per cent. of eligible students choose to take out maintenance loans. Therefore not all leavers have student loans.
	Repayments of income-contingent student loans are linked to a borrower's income and not the amount owed. Repayment is at 9 per cent. of annual income over a threshold of 15,000, collected through the tax system, usually by employers each pay date for borrowers on PAYE, in the same way as income tax and national insurance contributions. This allows a greater degree of career flexibilityfor example, if someone takes a career break, becomes unemployed or takes lower paid employment. In addition borrowers can voluntarily make repayments direct to the Student Loans Company, even if their income is below the repayment threshold.
	Recent graduates will typically have lower salaries when entering the labour market than they will receive later in their careers. For students graduating in 2002/03 the first degree median salaries increased from 16,000 at the Early Survey (six months after graduation) to 22,000 at the Longitudinal Survey (three and a half years after graduation), an increase of 37.5 per cent. This compares with an increase in average earnings across the whole economy of around 11.5 per cent. over the same period.

Higher Education

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will convene a Joint Ministerial Committee with counterparts in the devolved administrations to co-ordinate policies and action in the field of higher education.

David Lammy: A good deal of higher education policy is devolved. It is for different Administrations to decide their policies and they will not always agree on the right way forward. For example, we believe it is fair to ask undergraduates to make a contribution to the cost of their higher education, and that the revenue provided by their fees is important if universities are to deliver world-class teaching. The Scottish Executive has different policies.
	Where there is a continuing UK-wide arrangement, notably in the Research Councils' funding, officials and ministers work closely with their counterparts in the devolved Administrations. Where matters are devolved, there are appropriate levels of contact between DIUS and the devolved Administrations to discuss developments and share information, which reflects the importance the Government place on the relationship between the Administrations.
	My predecessor, my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Bill Rammell), appeared before the Welsh Affairs Select Committee on 15 July 2008. In a letter sent to the chair of that Committee following the Committee meeting, he stated that he was willing to take part in meetings with his counterparts in the devolved Administrations. I agree with this approach.

Higher Education: Sustainable Development

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will hold discussions with representatives of universities to encourage the adoption of environmentally sustainable practices in universities.

David Lammy: Yes. Ministers have already held a number of such discussions and we expect to hold more in future.
	During the past year we have asked the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to ensure that by the end of this spending review period all universities in receipt of capital funding should have plans to reduce carbon emissions. In future, performance against these plans should be a factor in future capital allocations.
	We have also agreed with HEFCE a key performance target for the Council's strategic plan as follows:
	to finalise during 2008-09 in consultation with stakeholders a revised strategy for sustainable development in HE, which features a realistic target for carbon reductions which are sufficient to ensure satisfactory progress towards the Government targets of reducing carbon emissions by 60 per cent. against 1990 levels by 2050 and at least 26 per cent by 2020.
	Reducing emissions from universities is important in its own right, but we believe it is particularly valuable because universities can provide examples of best practice to inspire businesses, other public services and community groups. We recognise that universities are autonomous institutions, and we want to work in partnership with them to address the sustainability agenda.
	The University of Gloucestershire is one of the universities with which we have discussed these issues. It is an institution that reflects strong commitment to the sustainability agenda through its management, teaching and research activities.

Physics: Research

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what UK research and development projects are being undertaken into  (a) quantum crypto-graphics and  (b) electro-optics; how much funding such projects are planned to receive from the public purse in (i) 2008-09, (ii) 2009-10 and (iii) 2010-11; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Technology Strategy Board (TSB), funded through the Science and Innovation Budgets, support a portfolio of research grants in these areas.
	
		
			  Grants as of October 2008EPSRC 
			   Number of grants  Value () 
			  (a) Quantum crypto-graphics 74 57,605,310 
			  (b) Electro optics 28 14,077,542 
		
	
	In addition, EPSRC is currently funding 69 grants totalling 53,093,462 in the area of optoelectronics which is a separate but related branch of technology to electro-optics. Information on individual grants funded by EPSRC is available from 'EPSRC Grants on the Web' at
	http://gov.epsrc.ac.uk/.
	From 2004 to 2008, the Technology Strategy Board contributed 3,903,712 to projects that explicitly mention electro optics or optoelectronics in their title or abstract under the Key Technology Area of Electronics, Photonics and Electrical Systems.
	The Technology Strategy Board has not identified any projects containing the words 'quantum crypto-graphics' in the title or abstract.

Sector Skills Councils

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what records his Department holds of non-registered sector skills bodies; and whether such bodies will be included in the current review and relicensing procedure for registered sector skills councils.

Si�n Simon: The Department holds records for Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) in connection with their licensed status, and for Industry Training Boards in relation to their levy arrangements and non-departmental public body status. The Department does not keep systematic records for non-registered sector skill bodies. The records that are kept on such bodies relate to correspondence and meetings arising from specific approaches from organisations.
	All sector skill bodies will have an opportunity to provide evidence and commentary on the relicensing of individual SSCs. The UK Commission for Employment and Skills has a website that includes a link for employers and stakeholders to post views on how SSCs are performing. The relicensing process will include a rigorous assessment of each SSC by independent third party assessors. The relicensing process is for existing Sector Skills Councils only. The performance of other sector bodies is not part of the assessment process.

Vocational Education

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  how many people started courses under train to gain in the latest year for which figures are available, broken down by  (a) region and  (b) local authority;
	(2)  how many people are expected to start courses under train to gain in 2010-11, broken down by  (a) region and  (b) local authority;

Si�n Simon: Since it was rolled out nationally in 2006 over 101,000 employers have been engaged, over 570,000 learners have started a learning programme and over 290,000 qualifications have been achieved. Recent independent evaluations of the service show that both employer and employee satisfaction with their experience of train to gain is high.
	A breakdown of the number of people starting courses through train to gain in 2006-07 since the programme began in April 2006 is set out in Table 1 by region and local authority (2006-07 is the latest year we have fully audited data for). We do not have this information for 2010-11. In the demand-led skills system that the Government have created, the geographical distribution of train to gain learners is driven by employer demand. In addition the Learning and Skills Councils annual statement of priorities, which will be published soon, will set out their spending plans and targets to 2010-11. In 2010-11 we plan to invest over 1 billion of public funding through the service, to help employers invest in their businesses by investing in the skills of their employees.
	
		
			  Table 1: Train to gain starts from April 2006 to July 2007 by region and local authority 
			  Region / Local authority  Train to gain starts 
			  East Midlands  
			 Derby 1,100 
			 Derbyshire 4,100 
			 Leicester 2,700 
			 Leicestershire 3,100 
			 Lincolnshire 3,100 
			 Northamptonshire 3,400 
			 Nottingham 1,700 
			 Nottinghamshire 3,500 
			  100 
			 East Midlands Total 22,800 
			   
			  East of England  
			 Bedfordshire 1,300 
			 Cambridgeshire 2,700 
			 Essex 5,500 
			 Hertfordshire 3,400 
			 Luton 900 
			 Norfolk 2,700 
			 Peterborough 1,000 
			 Southend on Sea 800 
			 Suffolk 1,900 
			 Thurrock 700 
			 East of England Total 20,900 
			  Greater London  
			 Barking and Dagenham 900 
			 Barnet 900 
			 Bexley 900 
			 Brent 1,400 
			 Bromley 700 
			 Camden 300 
			 City of London 0 
			 Croydon 1,200 
			 Ealing 1,200 
			 Enfield 800 
			 Greenwich 1,300 
			 Hackney 1,000 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 400 
			 Haringey 900 
			 Harrow 600 
			 Havering 900 
			 Hillingdon 900 
			 Hounslow 900 
			 Islington 500 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 200 
			 Kingston upon Thames 200 
			 Lambeth 900 
			 Lewisham 1,300 
			 Merton 500 
			 Newham 1,700 
			 Redbridge 900 
			 Richmond upon Thames 200 
			 Southwark 1,200 
			 Sutton 500 
			 Tower Hamlets 800 
			 Waltham Forest 1,200 
			 Wandsworth 600 
			 Westminster 400 
			 Greater London Total 26,500 
			   
			  North East  
			 Darlington 600 
			 Durham 4,300 
			 Gateshead 1,500 
			 Hartlepool 600 
			 Middlesbrough 1,100 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 1,500 
			 North Tyneside 1,300 
			 Northumberland 1,800 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 1,200 
			 South Tyneside 1,300 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 1,200 
			 Sunderland 2,200 
			 North East Total 18,600 
			   
			  North West  
			 Blackburn with Darwen 1,100 
			 Blackpool 1,200 
			 Bolton 1,500 
			 Bury 1,000 
			 Cheshire 2,500 
			 Cumbria 2,500 
			 Halton 700 
			 Knowsley 900 
			 Lancashire 7,200 
			 Liverpool 2,400 
			 Manchester 3,200 
			 Oldham 1,800 
			 Rochdale 1,500 
			 Salford 1,700 
			 Sefton 1,200 
			 St Helens 1,000 
			 Stockport 1,200 
			 Tameside 1,400 
			 Trafford 800 
			 Warrington 900 
			 Wigan 2,200 
			 Wirral 1,700 
			 North West Total 39,700 
			   
			  South East  
			 Bracknell Forest 300 
			 Brighton and Hove 600 
			 Buckinghamshire 900 
			 East Sussex 1,400 
			 Hampshire 3,200 
			 Isle of Wight 800 
			 Kent 6,000 
			 Medway 1,500 
			 Milton Keynes 700 
			 Oxfordshire 1,600 
			 Portsmouth 600 
			 Reading 600 
			 Slough 500 
			 Southampton 800 
			 Surrey 1,700 
			 West Berkshire 600 
			 West Sussex 1,900 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 200 
			 Wokingham 300 
			 South East Total 24,200 
			   
			  South West  
			 Bath and North East Somerset 400 
			 Bournemouth 700 
			 Bristol 1,200 
			 Cornwall 2,100 
			 Devon 3,100 
			 Dorset 1,100 
			 Gloucestershire 1,700 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 
			 North Somerset 500 
			 Plymouth 1,300 
			 Poole 400 
			 Somerset 2,000 
			 South Gloucestershire 600 
			 Swindon 1,000 
			 Torbay 800 
			 Wiltshire 2,000 
			 South West Total 18,800 
			   
			  West Midlands  
			 Birmingham 6,000 
			 Coventry 1,700 
			 Dudley 2,000 
			 Herefordshire 900 
			 Sandwell 2,800 
			 Shropshire 1,600 
			 Solihull 900 
			 Staffordshire 4,400 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 2,000 
			 Telford and Wrekin 1,500 
			 Walsall 2,000 
			 Warwickshire 2,100 
			 Wolverhampton 2,300 
			 Worcestershire 2,600 
			 West Midlands Total 32,800 
			   
			  Yorkshire and the Humber  
			 Barnsley 1,700 
			 Bradford 2,100 
			 Calderdale 1,000 
			 Doncaster 2,600 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 1,800 
			 Kingston upon Hull 1,200 
			 Kirklees 1,900 
			 Leeds 3,200 
			 North East Lincolnshire 600 
			 North Lincolnshire 1,200 
			 North Yorkshire 1,800 
			 Rotherham 1,900 
			 Sheffield 2,800 
			 Wakefield 2,600 
			 York 300 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Total 26,700 
			   
			 Not defined 7,900 
			   
			 Grand total 238,700 
			  Notes: 1. Figures presented here are for the 16 month period April 2006 to July 2007. 2. Region and local authority is based on learner's postcode. 3. Figures may not sum to total due to rounding. 4. '-' indicates a figure of less than 10.  Source: WBL ILR and ETP database

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departmental Consultants

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on consultancy fees in each year since the Department was created.

Douglas Alexander: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Hemsworth (Jon Trickett) on 13 December 2007,  Official Report, column 838W. Consultancy spend for the year 2007-08 is 246 million.

Departmental Fraud

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many instances of fraud were recorded in his Department in each of the last five years; what the monetary value of the fraud was in each case; what the nature of the fraud was in each case; and how many of his Department's staff were  (a) reprimanded and  (b) dismissed as a result in each case.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) collates details of recorded fraud and passes the results to HM Treasury for inclusion in their annual fraud report, which may be found on HM Treasury's website at:
	http://62.164.176.164/fraud_public_spending_and_ reporting.htm

Departmental Internet

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much the  (a) design and  (b) maintenance of the Race Against Global Poverty section of his Department's website (i) has cost and (ii) is projected to cost.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 13 October 2008
	 The total cost of designing the 'Race Against Global Poverty' section of DFID's website was 83,221.17. Maintenance costs are 10,109.70 per annum for database hosting, usage statistics and bandwidth.
	This section of the DFID website is designed to assist pupils in the subjects of ICT, geography and citizenship, as part of the secondary school teaching curriculum. Since it was launched on 30 June 2008 there have been 54,962 user sessions on this section of the website.

Departmental Press

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which organisations provided media monitoring services to  (a) his Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) its non-departmental public bodies in each of the last three years; and what the total cost was of each contract.

Douglas Alexander: The Department's media monitoring is supplied by Energy Data Service Ltd. (EDS) and the Media Monitoring Unit (MMU). Available figures for the annual costs of each contract are as follows:
	
		
			
			  EDS  
			 2006/07 134,337 
			 2007/08 156,033 
			 2008/09 (1)35,743 
			   
			  MMU  
			 2007-08 37,245 
			 2008-09 (1)3,995 
			 (1) To date 
		
	
	DFID does not have any agencies nor NDPBs.

Haiti: Hurricanes and Tornadoes

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assistance the UK has provided to those affected by the hurricanes in Haiti.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) committed up to 7 million for humanitarian relief and early recovery to the Caribbean after the recent hurricanes, some 6 million of which is for Haiti to help restore water, sanitation and other essential services and supplies. DFID also sent a humanitarian assessment team to Haiti and is supporting UN relief co-ordination there with two seconded experts.
	In addition, the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO) is committing 700,000 for humanitarian relief, 15.8 per cent. of which is charged to DFID's budget.
	Although DFID has no long-term bilateral development programme or representation in Haiti, DFID will continue to support Haiti through engagement with and funding of multilateral agencies such as the World Bank, United Nations, European Union, regional CARICOM institutions, the Caribbean Development Bank and international NGOs. We judge these actors to be best placed to assist Haiti's development because of their long-term presence.

Haiti: Hurricanes and Tornadoes

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made by the United Nations relief fund to help those affected by the recent hurricanes in Haiti; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Foster: The United Nations (UN) issued an international appeal for post-hurricane humanitarian relief funding for Haiti totalling $107 million. So far we understand donors have committed $23,540,000, 22 per cent. of the appeal. The Department for International Development (DFID) is channelling 4 million of its 6 million humanitarian aid for Haiti through the UN.
	In the very difficult circumstances prevailing in Haiti all agencies are finding it difficult to manage relief. There are challenges of staffing, co-ordination and logistics. We have targeted our support to be as helpful as possible to the UN agencies in overcoming these constraints.

Overseas Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what factors are taken into account in his Department's risk management policy on distribution of aid.

Michael Foster: Much of the Department for International Development's (DFID) work is in high risk environments. Staff must be safeguarded, financial control maintained and our development activities must reduce poverty. DFID's systems are designed to provide a high and consistent level of management everywhere, including in difficult environments. DFID tackles three types of risks:
	Risks to DFID staff and resources;
	Risks to the delivery of international development
	Risks faced by poor people throughout the world

Overseas Aid

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the outcome of the UN High-Level Event on the millennium development goals on 25 September, with particular reference to the financial contributions pledged by the British Government.

Douglas Alexander: The high level event (HLE) on the MDGs involved the broadest ever alliance assembled to fight for poverty reduction. Participants in the event, and the nearly 60 partnership events during the week, represented over 140 countries and leaders of NGOs, business, faith groups, philanthropic organisations and cities.
	At the UN HLE the UK Government committed to spend an estimated 450 million over the next three years to support national health plans for eight international health partnership countries. Prime Minister Gordon Brown also announced the foundation of a multistakeholder Taskforce on Innovative Financing for Health Systems to help meet the financial gap on the health MDGs. With the aim that this Taskforce will report to the Italian G8 summit in 2009.
	On education the UK Government committed 50 million for the education fast-track initiative (FTI) as part of a multi stakeholder approach launching the new Class of 2015 partnership which looks to address the funding gap in order to help make it possible to get 24 million children into school by 2010. It is part of delivering on our commitment, announced in April 2006, to provide 8.5 billion in support of education over 10 years. There was also an announcement of a 5 million commitment for a partnership with Comic Relief totalling 10 million (5 million each) through which school children in the UK will raise money for schools in Africa. As with the FTI funding it's part of our delivering on our 8.5 billion commitment.
	The UK announced 40 million to support the affordable medicines facility for malaria, which the UK encourages the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM) to host. This is in support of the global malaria action plan that was developed by Roll Back Malaria, with contributions from 250 partner organisations, and launched with Malaria No More, Roll Back Malaria, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the UN on the 25 September. The action plan points the way towards universal coverage of bed nets and spraying by 2010, and achieving near zero malaria deaths by 2015.
	On food security the UK Government committed 42 million to the Horn of Africa as part of the Government's emergency assistance. This was part of the $1.75 billion announced by stakeholders at the UN HLE in emergency food aid to stop starvation in the Horn of Africa, and for the rapid distribution of support, including seeds and fertilizers, to 30 priority countries.
	I will be answering questions relating to the UN HLE at the Africa All Parliamentary Group (APPG) on 28 October and at the International Development Committee on the UN high level event on 30 October.

Somalia: Asylum

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the number of Somalian refugees in Yemen; and what steps the UK has taken to facilitate their safety and security.

Douglas Alexander: Figures from the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) show that as at January 2008, there were 79,000 Somali refugees in Yemen. This figure is projected to rise to 82,720 by the end of 2008.
	The Department for International Development (DFID) is not currently providing assistance to UNHCR for the purpose of supporting Somali refugees in Yemen. However, through DFID's bilateral programme in Yemen, we will be providing 7 million between 2008 and 2013 to support efforts to increase access to justice and policing for all those living in Yemen.
	DFID is also working in Somalia, to improve governance, security, health, education, livelihoods and provide emergency humanitarian relief. Our support is aimed at building more stable conditions so that fewer Somalis feel forced to seek a better life elsewhere.

Sri Lanka: Overseas Aid

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations he has made to the Sri Lankan government to ensure free passage of food, medicines and other humanitarian supplies to the North of Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Foster: The Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for International Development raised the humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka in a bilateral meeting with President Rajapakse on 26 September in New York at the United Nations General Assembly. They stressed the need for a political solution to the Conflict as well as the need to secure humanitarian space and to provide humanitarian relief to an estimated 220,000 Internally Displaced Persons trapped in the conflict zone in the north of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka: Overseas Aid

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the UK Government is taking to ameliorate the humanitarian situation in the north of Sri Lanka.

Michael Foster: In addition to diplomatic engagement, the UK Government are providing funding for humanitarian aid. The Department for International Development (DFID) contributed 1.25 million in 2007-08 through the UN and the International Red Cross. Following the latest DFID humanitarian assessment mission to Sri Lanka 15-24 September, which visited the north, DFID has agreed a further 2.5 million humanitarian aid. We are in urgent discussion with the UN and the Red Cross about how to channel this aid as quickly as possible to assist the 200,000-250,000 internally displaced people caught up in the latest upsurge in the conflict.

Sri Lanka: Overseas Aid

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what the initial findings of his Department's assessment team on the humanitarian situation in northern Sri Lanka are; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many people were on his Department's assessment team on the humanitarian situation in northern Sri Lanka;
	(3)  how many days his Department's assessment team spent observing the humanitarian situation in northern Sri Lanka on its recent visit;
	(4)  what areas were visited by his Department's assessment team on the humanitarian situation in northern Sri Lanka;
	(5)  whether his Department's assessment team reported being subject to significant travel restrictions during its visit to Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement;
	(6)  what further steps the Government plans to take in response to the humanitarian situation in northern Sri Lanka.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development's (DFID) assessment of the humanitarian situation in northern Sri Lanka is that it is severe and in need of urgent relief action. As I reported to the House on 14 October 2008,  Official Report , columns 240-48WH, we estimate that the number of Sri Lankans displaced in the latest surge in the conflict between the Sri Lankan armed forces and separatist extremists has risen from approximately 75,000 in July to between 200,000 and 250,000. Because many of these people have suffered multiple previous displacements they are particularly vulnerable. They are trapped between opposing forces in a pocket of north-east Sri Lanka without the assistance they need, lacking food, water, shelter, healthcare or sanitation. It is impossible to gauge exact numbers or their full plight because there is no humanitarian access to them. There are plans by the United Nations and the Sri Lankan authorities to mount relief convoys but so far very little is getting through.
	As I said in the House on 14 October 2008,  Official Repor t, columns 240-48 WH, we deplore this situation, have called on all parties to the conflict to facilitate access and humanitarian aid and I am pleased to have committed a further 2.5 million for humanitarian relief through the international agencies.
	The DFID assessment team comprised one UK-based humanitarian specialist who has previously worked in Sri Lanka and has visited Sri Lanka many times and a representative of the British high commission in Colombo.
	The assessment team visited Sri Lanka from 16 to 24 September, including Vavunia and Jaffna District, where they were able to travel without difficulties or restrictions. They were unable to visit the Wanni area because security there could not be assured.

Sri Lanka: Overseas Aid

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the humanitarian situation in northern Sri Lanka.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development's (DFID) assessment of the humanitarian situation in northern Sri Lanka is that it is severe and in need of urgent relief action. As I reported to the House on 14 October 2008,  Official Report, column 240-48WH, we estimate that the number of Sri Lankans displaced in the latest surge in the conflict between the Sri Lankan armed forces and separatist extremists has risen from approximately 75,000 in July to between 200,000 and 250,000. Because many of these people have suffered multiple previous displacements they are particularly vulnerable. They are trapped between opposing forces in a pocket of north-east Sri Lanka without the assistance they need, lacking food, water, shelter, health care or sanitation. It is impossible to gauge exact numbers or their full plight because there is as yet no proper humanitarian access to them. The United Nations and the Sri Lankan authorities are attempting relief convoys but so far relatively little is getting through.
	As I said in the House on 14 October, we deplore this situation, have called on all parties to the conflict to facilitate access and humanitarian aid and I am pleased to have committed a further 2.5 million for humanitarian relief through the international agencies.

Sri Lanka: Overseas Aid

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to ensure that humanitarian aid  (a) workers and  (b) supplies can reach the districts of Kilinochchi and Mulaitivu in northern Sri Lanka.

Michael Foster: In addition to diplomatic representations, the Department for International Development (DFID) supports the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which has a permanent international and national staff presence in Kilinochchi and Mullaittivu. As I said in the House on 14 October 2008,  Official Report , column 240-48WH, we are pressing for full humanitarian access to those areas.
	We are also pressing for Sri Lankan and United Nations relief convoys to deliver aid in safety and will support UN and other aid agency partners to increase their aid operations as soon as possible, assisted by the further 2.5 million from DFID that I was pleased to announce on 14 October.

HEALTH

Babies: Medical Examinations

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what procedures are in place for ensuring that children have  (a) a hip examination at birth and  (b) another examination at between six and eight weeks old.

Ann Keen: Screening for developmental dysplasia of the hips (DDH) is part of the routine physical examinations that every baby has, first within 72 hours of birth and then at 6-8 weeks old, as part of the Child Health Promotion Programme (CHPP), which covers pregnancy and the first five years of life. The examinations are usually performed by doctors, but can also be carried out by midwives and specialist nurses.
	All the screening programmes in the CHPP have met the criteria set out by the National Screening Committee. Screening programmes require local implementation of an agreed pathway, including clear guidelines on referral to assessment and differential diagnostic services.

Bowel Cancer

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government is taking to improve bowel cancer awareness and early diagnosis among men.

Ann Keen: Raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer is a key element of the Cancer Reform Strategy (copies of which have already been placed in the Library). Through the National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative, we will be taking forward work to improve awareness of the signs and symptoms of all cancers, including bowel cancer, among men and women. As part of this work, we will be working to support local interventions to increase cancer symptom awareness and encourage early presentation. We are currently investing in the Improvement Foundation's pilot work to develop and test methods of raising awareness of bowel, breast and lung cancers in 20 of the most deprived areas in the country.
	Through section 64, we are currently funding a Men's Health Forum project which aims to increase bowel cancer screening awareness and uptake by men.
	The Department has worked with health professionals, patient groups and the voluntary sector to develop standardised messages for bowel cancer. Work to update the messages will be commencing shortly.
	In addition, from 2010, the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme will be extended to men and women aged 70 to 75. We are currently piloting the extension in five pilot sites, and an evaluation of this will inform the national roll-out of the extension.

Cancer: Health Services

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to publish the first annual report on progress towards objectives contained in the Cancer Reform Strategy.

Ann Keen: The National Cancer Director's first annual report on the Cancer Reform Strategy will be published by the end of the year.

Cancer: Health Services

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms he has implemented for monitoring progress towards NHS waiting time standards outlined in the Cancer Reform Strategy.

Ann Keen: Performance against the current national health service cancer waiting times standards is monitored by NHS trust and is published on a quarterly basis by the Department of Health at:
	http://www.performance.doh.gov.uk/cancerwaits/index.htm
	We will continue to publish performance data by NHS trust on a quarterly basis as the extended waiting time standards set out the Cancer Reform Strategy are introduced from the end of December 2008. Local progress is monitored by commissioners of the service.

Cardiovascular System: Health Services

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many primary care trusts have developed their own vascular assessment or screening programmes;
	(2)  how many free vascular risk assessments have been provided under the Government's Putting Prevention First programme in each primary care trust.

Ann Keen: From 2009-10, the national health service is being asked to implement a vascular risk assessment and management programme or 'vascular checks' for people in England aged between 40 and 74, the proposals for which were set out in Putting Prevention First published on 1 April 2008, copies have already been placed in the Library. This programme will help ensure greater focus on the prevention of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and kidney disease and will help people remain well for longer.
	There is already a considerable amount of prevention and risk management activity taking place in primary care trusts in relation to individual conditions such as coronary heart disease and diabetes. There are no central records of exact numbers. The aim of the vascular checks initiative is to build on this valuable work so that the advantages of risk assessment and management are available to all who are able to benefit. The Department is currently working with stakeholders including commissioners, general practice and the pharmacy sector, on how best to do this.

Cervical Cancer: Screening

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made towards developing  (a) an information pack to be issued regarding screening programmes and  (b) a public relations strategy to boost participation of women aged 25 to 35 years in cervical cancer screening; and when he expects these policies to be implemented.

Ann Keen: As set out in the Cancer Reform Strategy, the National Health Service Cancer Screening Programme is commissioning an Improvement Foundation project to look at addressing the falling participation of younger women in the NHS cervical screening programme. The evidence and outcomes from the Improvement Foundation's local work will inform the development of the NHS Cancer Screening Programme's information materials and public relations strategy in this matter. The Improvement Foundation are expected to deliver the outcomes from their work to the NHS Cancer Screening Programme by the end of 2009.
	The NHS Cancer Screening Programmes have already produced posters specifically targeting women in the age range of 25-35.

Chemotherapy Advisory Group

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when he expects the National Chemotherapy Advisory Group to report;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to implement the recommendations of the National Chemotherapy Advisory Group.

Ann Keen: It is anticipated that the first draft of the National Chemotherapy Advisory Group report will be issued to key stakeholders for informal consultation by the end of the year. The National Cancer Director will then make recommendations to the NHS following consideration of comments received. The National Cancer action team will provide support for cancer networks and primary care trusts to implement recommendations.

Cot Deaths: Research

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent in the last year for which figures are available on  (a) research into Sudden Infant Death Syndrome,  (b) mental health research,  (c) neurological research,  (d) ophthalmic research,  (e) audiology research and  (f) HIV/AIDS research.

Dawn Primarolo: The information available is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Estimated research and development (R and D) expenditure in 2007-08 
			   million 
			   Departmental and National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) programmes  National health service R and D transitional support funding 
			 Sudden infant death syndrome 0.2 n/a 
			 Mental health (1)18.2 47.4 
			 Neurology (1)16.4 39.1 
			 Ophthalmology 2.5 n/a 
			 Audiology 0.4 n/a 
			 HIV/AIDS 2.2 n/a 
			 n/a = Not available (1) Includes NIHR clinical research network expenditure. Details of individual projects supported by the UK Clinical Research Network are available at: http://public.ukcrn.org.uk/search. 
		
	
	Over the last 10 years, the main part of the Department's total expenditure on health research has been devolved to and managed by NHS organisations. These organisations account for their use of the allocations they receive from the Department in annual research and development reports. The reports identify total, aggregated expenditure on certain priority areas including mental health, chronic neurological conditions and degenerative neurological disorders. They do not provide details of spend on the other conditions listed in the table.
	The Medical Research Council (MRC), like the NIHR, is one of the main agencies through which the Government support biomedical research. The MRC is an independent body funded by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills. Relevant MRC expenditure is not included in the figures above.

Death: Football

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will commission research into the causes of death of active amateur and professional footballers over the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: holding answer 13 October 2008
	The Department is not planning to commission the research suggested. However, the Department has supported a recent initiative led by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, the national football organisations and Cardiac Risk in the Young to promote awareness of familial heart conditions and the risks they pose to footballers.
	Discussions are also currently taking place between the two Departments and the other UK health departments on whether further research into the effectiveness of testing young athletes for these conditions ought to be carried out.

Dementia: Drugs

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to publish proposals to reduce the level of inappropriate prescribing of anti-psychotic medication to people with dementia, as heralded in his Department's draft dementia strategy.

Phil Hope: The Department originally anticipated that the results of the review into the use of anti-psychotic drugs for people with dementia would be available before the National Dementia Strategy is published. Given the work involved on developing the strategy, this will not now be possible. The strategy is now likely to be published in mid-November, and we anticipate that the results of the anti-psychotics review will be published early in 2009.

Dementia: Research

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in plans for the dementia research summit that was announced in June; for what reasons the summit was not held in accord with the originally planned timetable; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: holding answer 13 October 2008
	The dementia research summit has been delayed because of the pressure of work on developing the National Dementia Strategy and Implementation Plan. We now anticipate that the summit will take place in December 2008.

Dental Services

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the contribution to dental outcomes in England made by  (a) dental technicians and  (b) clinical dental technicians.

Ann Keen: Dental technicians continue to make an essential contribution to high quality dental treatment through the manufacture of dental appliances to the standards set in the Medical Devices Directive. Increasing numbers of clinical dental technicians are building upon this contribution by both manufacturing and fitting dental appliances to edentulous patients having met the registration requirements set by the General Dental Council.

Dental Services: Bassetlaw

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many patients used NHS dental services in Bassetlaw in  (a) 2007 and  (b) 2008;
	(2)  how many registered NHS dental patients there are in Bassetlaw constituency; and how many there were in  (a) 2007 and  (b) January 2008.

Ann Keen: Under the new dental contractual arrangements, introduced on 1 April 2006, patients do not have to be registered with a national health service dentist to receive NHS care. The closest equivalent measure to 'registration' is the number of patients receiving NHS dental services ('patients seen') over a 24-month period. However, this is not directly comparable to the registration data for earlier years.
	Information on the number of patients seen by an NHS dentist in England, over the previous 24-month period, is available in table C1 of annex 3 of the NHS Dental Statistics for England: Quarter 3: 31 December 2007 report. Information is available for the 24-month periods ending 31 March 2006, 31 March 2007, 30 June 2007, 30 September 2007, and 31 December 2007. Information is provided by strategic health authority and primary care trust (PCT). Information by constituency is not available under the new contractual arrangements.
	This report, published on 5 June 2008 by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care, has already been placed in the Library and is available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalstats0708q3
	The Dental Services Division (DSD) of the NHS Business Services Authority has recently issued 'patients seen' information at PCT level. However, this was for management information purposes. PCTs have recently raised some issues which suggest that the way in which patients are allocated to PCTs across the various quarters needs to be reviewed. This means that sub-national information on patients seen was not included in the Dental Statistics for England: 2007/08 report. This report, published on 21 August 2008 by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care, has already been placed in the Library. The DSD has confirmed that this issue could only have a minimal impact on the national figures. They were therefore labelled as provisional pending the review. An update will be provided in the Dental Statistics for England: 2008/09 Q1 report in November 2008.
	Increasing the number of patients seen within the NHS dental service is now a priority in the Operating Framework for the NHS in England 2008-09. We have supported this with an 11 per cent. uplift in overall dental allocations to PCTs from 1 April 2008. Copies of the Operating Framework have already been placed in the Library.

Dental Services: Bassetlaw

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the NHS budget for dentistry in Bassetlaw constituency was in each of the last 20 years.

Ann Keen: This information is not available in the format requested.
	Prior to April 2006, most primary dental services were provided under former General Dental Service arrangements. These were demand-led services, funded from a single national budget, where the pattern of dental expenditure was largely determined by where dentists chose to practice and how much national health service work they chose to undertake. Expenditure was accounted for by the former Dental Practice Board on a national basis only.
	However, certain information on primary dental care expenditure in individual primary care trusts (PCTs), health authorities or constituency areas is available for earlier years. The Information Centre for health and social care published the following report on 26 March 2008:
	NHS Expenditure for General Dental Services and Personal Dental Services: England 1997/98-2005/06. This report has already been placed in the Library and is available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalexpend1997to2006
	The report includes information on primary dental care expenditure by constituency for 1997-98 to 2005-06 in tables A3 and B3 of annex 3. Table A3 relates to 'gross' expenditure and table B3 relates to 'net' expenditure. 'Gross' expenditure refers to the full cost of the payments recorded; 'net' expenditure reflects the cost of these payments to the NHS after the deduction of income from NHS dental charges paid by patients. Information by PCT and strategic health authority (SHA) is also available in tables A1 and B1.
	This information is based on the old contractual arrangements which were in place up to and including 31 March 2006 and is not directly comparable with subsequent expenditure data reflecting the new framework and scope of local commissioning arrangements for primary dental care services introduced from April 2006. Further notes to aid interpretation of the information are shown in the 'Contents and Notes' page of annex 3.
	PCTs assumed responsibility for the local commissioning of primary dental care on 1 April 2006. Under the new service framework, the Department awards each PCT an annual primary dental service allocation to maintain and develop dental care services. Allocations are net of any income from NHS dental charges paid by patients, which PCTs retain as additional funding for dentistry. PCTs may direct further local NHS resources to dentistry if they consider it appropriate in the light of local needs and priorities. PCTs therefore determine their own local operational budgets taking into account the total resource they intend to commit to dentistry including any expected income from NHS dental charges. The Department's primary dental service allocations to Bassetlaw PCT since April 2006 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Primary dental care service allocations to Bassetlaw PCT (net of patient charge revenue) 
			  Financial year  Net allocation (000) 
			 2006-07 2,644 
			 2007-08 2,839 
			 2008-09 3,142 
			  Note : Any PCT which hosts an approved training post for a dental vocational trainee will receive a supplementary net funding allocation from its SHA to cover the relevant costs. 
		
	
	Data on actual expenditure on primary dental services can be derived from PCT accounts. Expenditure totals for Bassetlaw PCT are set out in the following table. However, accounts data do not separately identify expenditure by constituency area or any other sub-division of a PCT area.
	
		
			  Expenditure on primary dental care services in Bassetlaw PCT, 2006-07 to 2007-08 
			  000 
			   Financial year 
			   2006-07  2007-08 
			 Gross expenditure 4,059 4,403 
			 Dental charges paid by patients 1,079 1,180 
			 Net expenditure 2,980 3,223 
			  Note: PCTs also commission secondary dental services such as specialist hospital dental departments, which they fund from their general NHS budgets, but expenditure on these services is not separately identified in PCT accounts.  Source:  2006-07 data from audited summarisation schedules of Bassetlaw PCT. 2007-08 data from audited financial monitoring and accounts forms for Bassetlaw PCT.

Dentistry: Technicians

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to support training and professional development for clinical dental technicians.

Ann Keen: The General Dental Council is responsible for approving training courses, which lead to the registration of dental care professionals. We believe that a training course for clinical dental technicians needs to be established in England. We were therefore very encouraged to learn that the Postgraduate Dental Dean for south east coast is collaborating the university of Kent to devise a course which should give credit for relevant experience and competencies which some dental technicians have already acquired. We understand the programme will be submitted to the General Dental Council's Education Committee in December and, if it is approved, places will be advertised in the new year.

Diabetes

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many primary care trusts have developed their own diabetes strategy.

Ann Keen: This information is not centrally collected. Responsibility for implementing the diabetes national service framework rests with the national health service, and it is for primary care trusts to commission services that meet the needs of their local population.

Diabetes

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what  (a) financial and  (b) administrative support the Government has given to campaigns to raise awareness of the risk factors for diabetes.

Ann Keen: The national health service (NHS) next stage review, 'High Quality Care for All', published on 30 June 2008, announced the introduction of the Reduce Your Risk campaign, which will raise awareness of the vascular checks programme and vascular conditions generally, including diabetes. Copies of this publication have already been placed in the Library.
	In addition to this, The Change4Life campaign is a forthcoming 75 million social marketing programme that is part of Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: A Cross Government Strategy for England (copies of which have already been placed in the Library). The campaign will support and encourage people to live healthily by helping them to make significant and sustained choices to behaviours around diet and physical activity. This will also help prevent obesity and reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and other cardiovascular diseases.
	Through the Section 64 general grant scheme (now known as Third Sector Investment programme), we have given a total of 305,976 in support of three projects that include raising awareness of type 2 diabetes since 2005.

Diabetes

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how his Department plans to address the need for improvements in emotional and psychological support for diabetes patients identified in the National Service Framework's Five Years On report.

Ann Keen: The Department, in collaboration with Diabetes UK, has established a joint working group to identify what needs to be done to enable the national health service and local care services to meet the psychological and emotional needs of all people with diabetes to support them to self-care. This will include examining the competencies required to deliver an appropriate service. The group is part of a wider workstream looking at ways that local services can develop support for people with diabetes to self-manage, including care planning, structured education and self-monitoring.

Diabetes

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimated percentage of hospital beds were occupied by patients with diabetes in each primary care trust at the latest date for which information is available;
	(2)  how many people have been admitted to hospital in diabetes-related emergencies in the last 12 months.

Ann Keen: Information on the estimated percentage of hospital beds occupied by patients with diabetes in each primary care trust is not available in the format requested. The recent report 'Improving Emergency and Inpatient Care for People with Diabetes' estimates that around 10 per cent. of all hospital beds in the United Kingdom are occupied by people with diabetes.
	The following table shows the number of people admitted to hospital in diabetes-related emergencies in 2006-07, the latest year for which figures are available:
	
		
			  Total emergency admissions to hospital in England in which a patient had a primary diagnosis of diabetes related condition in 2006-07 
			   Total emergency admissions 
			 2006-07 (1)43,822 
			 (1) Finished admissions episodes (FAE): a FAE is the first period of inpatient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of inpatients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.

Diabetes

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many diabetes patients  (a) are receiving,  (b) have received and  (c) have not received structured education for diabetes through DESMOND programmes in each primary care trust;
	(2)  how many diabetes patients  (a) are receiving,  (b) have received and  (c) have not received structured education for diabetes through DAFNE programmes in each primary care trust.

Ann Keen: This information is not available in the format requested. The DAFNE centre reports, to date, that 8,698 people in England have become DAFNE graduates. The following table breaks this down by centre.
	
		
			  Number of DAFNE graduated per centre 
			  Centre  Number of patients graduated 
			 Addenbrooke's 656 
			 Arrowe Park 84 
			 Barking and Dagenham 24 
			 Basildon 5 
			 Bedford 128 
			 Birmingham East and North 41 
			 Blackburn 126 
			 Bolton 46 
			 Bridlington 99 
			 Burnley 53 
			 Central Middlesex 261 
			 Chelsea and Westminster 61 
			 Croydon 24 
			 Dartford 61 
			 Derby 311 
			 Durham 63 
			 Exeter 105 
			 Harrogate 48 
			 Heart of Birmingham 125 
			 Hinchingbrooke 60 
			 Hull 260 
			 Ipswich 60 
			 Kings 703 
			 Leicester 625 
			 Lewisham 52 
			 Maidstone 37 
			 Medway 98 
			 North Lincolnshire and Goole 164 
			 Northampton 474 
			 Northumbria 614 
			 Norwich 114 
			 Nottingham 452 
			 Pembury 64 
			 Pennine 96 
			 Queen Elizabeth, London 33 
			 Queen Mary, Kent 44 
			 Redbridge 12 
			 Rotherham 46 
			 Royal Surrey County Hospital 6 
			 Salford 116 
			 Salisbury 80 
			 Scarborough 190 
			 South East Kent 54 
			 Selly Oak 88 
			 Sheffield 713 
			 South of Tees 112 
			 Southend 60 
			 St. George's, Hornchurch 73 
			 St. George's, Tooting 146 
			 St. Thomas 157 
			 Tameside 46 
			 Taunton and Somerset 86 
			 UCLH 94 
			 Wakefield 16 
			 West Cumberland 106 
			 West Essex 112 
			 Wythenshawe 109 
			 Bournemouth 5 
		
	
	The DESMOND central office reports that the programme has been delivered to over 20,000 people in the United Kingdom and Ireland. A figure for England is not available.

Health Professions: Manpower

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many nurses there are in  (a) Chesterfield,  (b) Derbyshire and  (c) England;
	(2)  how many doctors there are in  (a) Chesterfield,  (b) Derbyshire and  (c) England;
	(3)  how many NHS nurses were employed in  (a) Chesterfield,  (b) Derbyshire and  (c) England in each year since 1997;
	(4)  how many NHS doctors were employed in  (a) Chesterfield,  (b) Derbyshire and  (c) England in each year since 1997.

Ann Keen: The information requested is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  All GPs (excluding retainers and registrars) for selected organisations in England, as at 1997-2007 
			  numbers (headcount) 
			1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			  England total 28,046 28,251 28,467 28,593 28,802 29,202 30,358 31,523 32,738 33,091 33,364 
			  
			  Total specified organisations 503 513 508 512 518 545 573 595 607 611 622 
			  
			 QCH North Derbyshire Health Authority (HA) 191 195 199 193 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 QCJ South Derbyshire HA 312 318 309 319 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 5N7 Derby City PCT n/a n/a n/a n/a 142 143 149 154 155 159 161 
			 5N6 Derbyshire County PCT(1) n/a n/a n/a n/a 376 402 424 441 452 452 461 
		
	
	
		
			  All practice nurses for selected organisations in England, as at 1997-2007 
			  numbers (headcount) 
			1997( 2)  1998( 2)  1999( 2)  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			  England total n/a n/a n/a 19,200 19,846 20,983 21,667 22,144 22,904 23,797 22,860 
			  
			  Total specified organisations n/a n/a n/a 351 351 385 377 433 422 456 486 
			  
			 QCH North Derbyshire HA n/a n/a n/a 128 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 QCJ South Derbyshire HA n/a n/a n/a 223 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 5N7 Derby City PCT n/a n/a n/a n/a 112 122 123 132 129 132 135 
			 5N6 Derbyshire County PCT(1) n/a n/a n/a n/a 239 263 254 301 293 324 351 
			 n/a = Not applicable. (1) In 2006 Amber Valley PCT, Chesterfield PCT, Derbyshire Dales and South Derbyshire PCT, Erewash PCT, High Peak and Dales PCT and North Eastern Derbyshire PCT merged to form Derbyshire County PCT. Figures prior to 2006 are an aggregate of these six predecessor organisations. (2) Practice nurse headcount figures are not available on the annual census prior to 2000.  Notes: 1. Data for Chesterfield are not available. Data are available for Trusts and PCTs that provide or provided services within the Chesterfield constituency. 2. Data is not available for the specific geographical area of Derbyshire. The data used here is for both PCTs within Derbyshire for comparability as they were formed from the two former health authorities in Derbyshire. 3. Data as at 1 October 1997-99, 30 September 2000-07  Data Quality: Work force statistics are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data. Processing methods and procedures are continually being updated to improve data quality. Where this happens any impact on figures already published will be assessed but unless this is significant at national level they will not be changed. Where there is impact only at detailed or local level this will be footnoted in relevant analyses.  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care General and Personal Medical Services Statistics 
		
	
	
		
			  Hospital and community health services (HCHS): medical and dental staff( 1)  within specified organisations in England, 1997-2007 
			  numbers (headcount) 
			1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			  England 60,230 62,140 63,994 66,067 68,464 72,168 76,400 82,951 37,043 90,243 91,790 
			  
			 RFS Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 191 202 209 205 229 233 247 260 265 281 306 
			 5N6 Derbyshire County PCT(2) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 50 51 53 53 55 44 
		
	
	
		
			  NHS hospital and community health services: qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff in England by specified organisation, 1997-2007 
			  numbers (headcount) 
			1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			  England 300,467 304,563 310,142 316,752 330,535 346,537 364,692 375,371 361,257 374,538 376,737 
			 RFS Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 789 818 823 757 887 907 898 938 1,032 964 975 
			 5N6 Derbyshire County PCT(2) n/a n/a n/a n/a 763 1,276 1,282 1,331 1,394 1,271 1,280 
			 n/a = Not applicable. (1) Figure excludes medical hospital practitioners and medical clinical assistants, most of whom are GPs working part time in hospitals. (2) In 2006 Amber Valley PCT, Chesterfield PCT, Derbyshire Dales and South Derbyshire PCT, Erewash PCT, High Peak and Dales PCT and North-Eastern Derbyshire PCT merged to form Derbyshire County PCT. Figures prior to 2006 are an aggregate of these six predecessor organisations.  Notes: 1. Data for Chesterfield are not available. Data are available for Trusts and PCTs that provide or provided services within the Chesterfield constituency. 2. Data as at 1 October 1997-99, 30 September 2000-07.  Data Quality: Work force statistics are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data. Processing methods and procedures are continually being updated to improve data quality. Where this happens any impact on figures already published will be assessed but unless this is significant at national level they will not be changed. Where there is impact only at detailed or local level this will be footnoted in relevant analyses.  Sources: 1. The Information Centre for health and social care Medical and Dental Workforce Census 2. The Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce. Census

Health Services: Interpreters

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the risks of medical accidents or misapprehension of clinical information identified by the seventh report of the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health, Saving Mothers' Lives, of using friends and family as interpreters in medical and social care contexts, what steps he has taken to ensure that health and social care professionals have the assistance of interpreters qualified at the level of the National Occupational Interpreting Standards.

Ann Keen: We have advocated in the maternity standard of the National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services that all national health service maternity care providers and primary care trusts make provision for translation, interpretation and advocacy services based on an assessment of the needs of their local population. Copies of the framework have already been placed in the Library.
	National health service and social care bodies are not required to report their arrangements for interpretation and translation services to the Department. When planning such services, they should take due account of their legal duties, the composition of the communities they serve, and the needs and circumstances of their patients, service users and local populations.
	Heath and social care bodies usually commission such services from private organisations that provide access to qualified and trained interpreters. NHS bodies can also access telephone interpretation through NHS Direct, which operates from 21 call centres in England and have access to interpretation for over 100 available 24 hours a day seven days a week.

Health Services: Ministers of Religion

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  which departmental authority is responsible for the central funding allocation for hospital and healthcare chaplaincy; what proposals are in place for its use in 2009-10; and when these will be discussed with the nine world faith communities;
	(2)  what funding allocations have been made from the central allocation for hospital and healthcare chaplaincy for 2008-09; and what  (a) bids and  (b) requirements were made by the relevant representations of the nine world faith communities at which the allocation is directed.

Ann Keen: Funding for the provision of health care chaplaincy services is built into the financial allocations to primary care trusts, who commission services on behalf of patients.
	The Department also holds a central fund of 185,000 to provide grants for the provision of support to chaplains across the nine leading world faith communities. Following an independent review of central funding of hospital chaplaincy in 2005, it was agreed that the nine leading faith groups in England would receive a share of the NHS hospital chaplaincy grant. For 2008-09, the United Synagogue Visitation Committee, The Muslim Council of Britain and the Free Churches Group at Churches Together in England each received 35,000, with the remaining funds distributed among the other six faith groups that bid. This financial year the Department's Equality and Human Rights Group managed the allocation, and more support was given to minority faith groups from the remaining budget to ensure a more equitable distribution of funds to help them provide for the religious and spiritual needs of patients while in hospital.
	Chaplaincy grants for the next financial year have yet to be determined. We will be holding a stakeholder event in January 2009 with the main leading faith groups in England to consult on central funding allocations for 2009-10.

Health Services: Pay

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the timetable is for making changes to payment by results taking account of findings from the review of payment by results and cancer.

Ann Keen: We are seeking to make progress on the recommendations in the report entitled Ensuring PbR supports the delivery of effective cancer services as soon as practicable. Copies of this report have been placed in the Library. Some recommendations have already been implemented, such as the establishment of an Expert Reference Panel for cancer. Other issues require further work and discussion before changes can be implemented, such as coding for chemotherapy and radiotherapy, currently being considered by National Cancer Action Team working groups. This work programme is in line with the commitment to further develop payment by results for cancer services made in the Cancer Reform Strategy (copies of which have already been placed in the Library).

Healthcare for London

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what meetings officials or Ministers in his Department have had with representatives of Healthcare for London over the past 12 months; and what the date of each meeting was.

Ben Bradshaw: Healthcare for London is a programme funded by and run on behalf of London's primary care trusts, to deliver improvements to the capital's healthcare over the next 10 years. Representatives of the Healthcare for London team have met with Ministers or officials to keep them informed of implementation of the programme on the following occasions between September 2007 and August 2008.
	Lord Darzi, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, had meetings with representatives of Healthcare for London on the following dates: 20 November 2007, 23 and 28 April 2008 and 11 June 2008.
	Department officials have had meetings with Healthcare for London representatives on the following dates: 7 and 13 February 2008, 4, 9, 14, 16 and 23 April 2008, 3, 9, 11, 17 and 24 June 2008, 7, 9, 17, 22, 23 and 25 July 2008, and 5, 6, 7, 11 and 27 August 2008.

Liver Diseases: Health Services

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department's Liver Disease Service Review will reach its conclusions; and when he plans to make a decision on the future of liver disease services.

Ann Keen: We recognise that there is strong support for developing a national plan for liver disease. We are considering what the national health service needs to do over the next few years in order to address these pressures, and how this should be monitored.
	We shall announce next steps in due course.

Lung Diseases

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people required treatment for mesothelioma in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England in each year since 1997.

Ann Keen: Whilst we do not collect figures on the number of people requiring treatment for mesothelioma, we do collect information relating to the number of finished episodes where the primary diagnosis was mesothelioma. This information is provided in the following table, but it should be noted that the figures relate only to admitted patients and do not include any patients who are treated for mesothelioma in accident and emergency but not admitted, patients treated in an outpatient setting, or patients treated in the community.
	It should also be noted that Northumberland, Tyne and Wear strategic health authority and County Durham and Tees strategic health authority combined to form the North East strategic health authority in 2006-07.
	
		
			  Count of finished consultant episodes where the primary diagnosis was mesothelioma( 1)  for selected organisations, NHS Hospitals in England, and activity performed in the independent sector in England commissioned by the English NHS (1997-98 to 2006-07) 
			   Finished consultant episodes  England 
			   South Tyneside PCT (5KG) as PCT of residence  North East strategic health authority   
			 2006-07 69 735  6,677 
			Northumberland, Tyne and Wear SHA (Q09) as SHA of residence  County Durham and Tees Valley SHA (Q10) as SHA of residence  
			 2005-06 40 316 303 6,436 
			 2004-05 28 348 242 5,671 
			 2003-04 56 443 230 5,697 
			 2002-03 53 267 173 4,685 
			 2001-02 59 321 129 4,663 
			 2000-01 57 315 122 4,442 
			 1999-2000 58 401 121 4,155 
			 1998-99 39 373 98 3,773 
			 1997-98 11 186 69 3,075 
			 (1 )The ICD-10 codes used in this analysis were as follows: C45 Mesothelioma D19 Benign neoplasm of mesothelial tissue  Notes:  Finished consultant episode (FCE) An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.  Ungrossed data Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).  Diagnosis (primary diagnosis) The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.  Assessing growth through time HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. During the years that these records have been collected the NHS there have been ongoing improvements in quality and coverage. These improvements in information submitted by the NHS have been particularly marked in the earlier years and need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. Changes in NHS practice also need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. For example a number of procedures may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and may no longer be accounted in the HES data. This may account for any reductions in activity overtime.  Primary care trust (PCT) and strategic health authority (SHA) data quality PCT and SHA data was added to historic data-years in the HES database using 2002-03 boundaries, as a one-off exercise in 2004. The quality of the data on PCT of Treatment and SHA of Treatment is poor in 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99, with over a third of all finished episodes having missing values in these years. Data quality of PCT of GP practice and SHA of GP practice in 1997-98 and 1998-99 is also poor, with a high proportion missing values where practices changed or ceased to exist. There is less change in completeness of the residence-based fields over time, where the majority of unknown values are due to missing postcodes on birth episodes. Users of time series analysis including these years need to be aware of these issues in their interpretation of the data.  Source: Hospital episode statistics (HES), The Information Centre for Health and Social Care

Malnutrition

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people who left NHS hospitals experiencing malnutrition in each of the last three years.

Ann Keen: This information is not collected centrally.

Mental Health

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the letter of 18 March 2008 from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Home Office with responsibility for crime reduction to the hon. Member for Altrincham and Sale, West, what changes have been made to his Department's Frank website with regard to the Under-Secretary's request for a review of its advice on the link between cannabis and mental health.

Dawn Primarolo: My hon. Friend, the Member for Gedling, the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Home Office (Mr. Coaker), in his letter of 18 March 2008 to the hon. Member for Altrincham and Sale, West (Mr. Brady) pledged that new or additional advice on the links between cannabis and the onset of mental health problems presented by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) reportCannabis: Classification and Public Health (2008)would be fully and accurately reflected in the information and advice provided through Frank and elsewhere from Government. The ACMD report was published in April 2008.
	The Government responded to the ACMD report on 13 October 2008 stating that the Frank campaign, which has been extremely effective in highlighting to young people the harms associated with cannabis, will be updating the information it provides following the ACMD's report. An enhanced campaign of activity reflecting these new messages will be undertaken in the near future.

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what expenditure his Department incurred in maintaining and operating the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in the most recent financial year for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr. Lansley) on 1 September 2008,  Official Report, column 1749W.

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what procedures are used to appoint staff to posts in the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence; what criteria are applied; and who is responsible for making decisions on staff selection.

Dawn Primarolo: These are matters for the independent National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). NICE should be contacted direct for this information.

NHS: Drugs

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health under what circumstances an exceptional uses medical panel may reverse a clinician's recommendation for treatment with a drug approved by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Unless it has been amended or waived for a specific treatment, a statutory funding direction requires national health service organisations to make funding available for treatments recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) within three months of publication of final guidance. The Government would not expect a primary care trust to refuse funding for a treatment prescribed by the patient's clinician that has been recommended by NICE and is covered by the funding direction.

Patients: Death

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of NHS patients who died in NHS hospitals as a result of  (a) dehydration and  (b) starvation in each of the last three years.

Ann Keen: This information is not collected centrally.

Spinal Injuries: Health Services

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of spinal cord injury patients who are being managed by people without specialist skills relating to the condition;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of whether the number of beds and other resources available in spinal cord injury centres are sufficient to meet the specialist needs of all spinal cord injury patients promptly and appropriately; and how many beds there were in the designated specialist spinal cord injury centres in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(3)  what mechanisms are in place for the collection of national data on spinal cord injury patients, their management and the outcomes of their care; and what steps he is taking to improve such mechanisms.

Ann Keen: No estimate has been made of the number of spinal injury cord patients who are being managed by health professionals without specialist skills relating to this condition.
	No assessment has been made on whether the number of beds and other resources in spinal injury centres is sufficient to meet the needs of those with spinal injuries. It is the responsibility of the individual centres, and regional commissioners, to ensure that they are able to meet the anticipated needs of the regional population they serve. Information on the number of beds provided at such centres is not collected centrally.
	There are no existing mechanisms, or plans, to collect national data specifically on spinal cord injury patients.

Spinal Injuries: Health Services

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what mechanisms are in place to monitor the outcomes of spinal cord injury care to ensure the minimum quality standards are being achieved;
	(2)  what mechanisms are in place to monitor those foundation trusts that host the specialist spinal cord injury centres to ensure that those centres provide an appropriate level of service to patients with spinal cord injury.

Ann Keen: Spinal cord injury services are a specialised service, as defined within the National Specialised Services Definition Set. It is for specialised commissioning groups on behalf of their constituent primary care trusts to assess local needs and to contract directly with each NHS trust or NHS foundation trust for these services. Contracts should cover appropriate standards of care and include mechanisms for monitoring standards and ensuring patients that are treated appropriately.

Spinal Injuries: Health Services

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what mechanisms are in place for  (a) the funding of specialist spinal cord injury centres,  (b) decisions on how much is to be allocated to the trusts that host each specialist spinal cord injury centre and  (c) the system by which each host trust is monitored in the provision of spinal injury care;
	(2)  whether multidisciplinary teams of medical and paramedical specialists trained in the appropriate care of spinal cord injury are present within the NHS other than in the specialist spinal cord injury centres established by his Department; where specialist centres are located; and whether his Department has issued guidance on the commissioning of spinal cord injury services outside these specialist spinal cord injury centres;
	(3)  what procedures are in place to ensure early referral of all spinal cord injury persons to the relevant expert Spinal Cord Injury Centre service; and what recent assessment he has made of possible improvements to those procedures.

Ann Keen: Spinal cord injury services are a specialised service, as defined within the National Specialised Services Definition Set. It is for specialised commissioning groups (SCGs) on behalf of their constituent primary care trusts to assess local needs and to contract directly with each national health service trust or foundation trust for these services. Contracts should cover appropriate standards of care and mechanisms for ensuring patients are treated appropriately. SCGs are currently working together on a development project to produce an agreed national tariff for spinal cord injury services.
	Primary care trusts (PCTs) have the responsibility for ensuring they have appropriate teams of medical and paramedical staff able to deliver the services required to meet the needs of their local population. This may include staff trained in the care of those with spinal cord injuries where PCTs provide these services. Information on the provision of such local services is not collected nationally.
	The National Service Framework for Long-term Conditions provides detailed guidance on the provision, and commissioning, of health and social care for those with long-term neurological conditions, including spinal injuries. Copies of this publication have already been placed in the Library.
	It is the responsibility of health professionals to make an individual assessment of each patient with spinal cord injuries to determine their health and social care needs, and if required, the most appropriate time for referral to a specialist spinal injury centre.
	We have made no recent assessment of possible improvements to this procedure.

Stem Cells

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the letter of January 2008 from the Association of Medical Research Charities and others to Lord Darzi, on the creation of pluripotent embryonic cell lines, what  (a) cell types have been generated and  (b) disorders ameliorated in animal models using stem cells from the umbilical cord matrix; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Cells of the connective tissue, blood, muscle and neurons have been generated from umbilical cord stem cells. Clinical and animal studies of umbilical cord stem cells, especially for diseases like leukaemia, show potential.
	The United Kingdom Government are and always have been supportive of the use of stem cells from all sources, including embryos, foetuses, adult tissue and umbilical cord.